Christmaukkah
First off, we got the results of Sam's EEG back, and everything is normal. Whew!
So participating in Christmas while still trying to maintain Sam's jewishness has been interesting so far.
Basically, we've made the decision that I will continue to celebrate Christmas, but I won't decorate the house. That was the decision we'd made when we first got engaged, that we would keep a Jewish home. However, I do still listen to Christmas music at home, and make cookies and wrap gifts and all of that. But most of my celebrating takes place at the homes of my family and friends. I kind of went through a period this year of missing having a tree. But now that we're further into the season and I'm enveloped in celebrations, I'm past it. I have so many other ways to celebrate my holiday, and I'm happy with that.
Scott is really weird about Christmas. He grew up in Brooklyn, which obviously has a large Jewish population, so he didn't get bombarded with Christmas. (It's weird when I realize that he'd never seen Home Alone, or It's a Wonderful Life, or A Christmas Story. He has now, though. I have forced him to watch them all, except that he falls asleep during It's a Wonderful Life every year.) But moving down to Texas, where he is surrounded by Christmas and only hears the ocassional "Happy Hanukkah" from people who think that Hanukkah is the Jewish Christmas, he kind of feels bitter about it. He feels like Christmas is being shoved down his throat. And I can understand that. But I try to get him to just be a little more accepting. After all, it is still my holiday. I have made a lot of concessions in our relationship to recognize his Jewish heritage, and I expect him to respect my holidays and traditions, too. He has gotten better about it. He's only complained about gift-giving once this year! And I must say, having him around has gotten me back to the basics of what Christmas is all about, and not go into hock every year to buy gifts and decorations. I concentrate more on being with my family, and my entire family has made really reasonable monetary limits on gifts.
We went over to my grandmother's house for our family celebration yesterday. I'm trying to be patient with my family, because they're not used to having someone around that doesn't celebrate Christmas. So when my aunt said, "Did Sam go see Santa yet?" I just say no and don't make a big deal out of it. Or when that same aunt said, "Wait till next year--he'll be grabbing all of the ornaments off of your tree!" I just laugh. No sense in making a point of telling her that Sam doesn't do trees or Santa, because she'll just forget it again.
So like I said, I'm trying to be patient with them. But it's hard when another aunt, who I have spoken to in detail about Sam and Christmas, gives him an ORNAMENT that says Baby's First Christmas on it. That was wrong on so many levels, even beyond the fact that it says Christmas 2003 on it. (Hello, regift!) That one made me think that this particular aunt was doing it on purpose.
Anyway, I have got some big plans for Hanukkah this year. I'm making latkes and doughnuts, and we've got the dreidel and some gelt and everything. I'm looking forward to it!
So participating in Christmas while still trying to maintain Sam's jewishness has been interesting so far.
Basically, we've made the decision that I will continue to celebrate Christmas, but I won't decorate the house. That was the decision we'd made when we first got engaged, that we would keep a Jewish home. However, I do still listen to Christmas music at home, and make cookies and wrap gifts and all of that. But most of my celebrating takes place at the homes of my family and friends. I kind of went through a period this year of missing having a tree. But now that we're further into the season and I'm enveloped in celebrations, I'm past it. I have so many other ways to celebrate my holiday, and I'm happy with that.
Scott is really weird about Christmas. He grew up in Brooklyn, which obviously has a large Jewish population, so he didn't get bombarded with Christmas. (It's weird when I realize that he'd never seen Home Alone, or It's a Wonderful Life, or A Christmas Story. He has now, though. I have forced him to watch them all, except that he falls asleep during It's a Wonderful Life every year.) But moving down to Texas, where he is surrounded by Christmas and only hears the ocassional "Happy Hanukkah" from people who think that Hanukkah is the Jewish Christmas, he kind of feels bitter about it. He feels like Christmas is being shoved down his throat. And I can understand that. But I try to get him to just be a little more accepting. After all, it is still my holiday. I have made a lot of concessions in our relationship to recognize his Jewish heritage, and I expect him to respect my holidays and traditions, too. He has gotten better about it. He's only complained about gift-giving once this year! And I must say, having him around has gotten me back to the basics of what Christmas is all about, and not go into hock every year to buy gifts and decorations. I concentrate more on being with my family, and my entire family has made really reasonable monetary limits on gifts.
We went over to my grandmother's house for our family celebration yesterday. I'm trying to be patient with my family, because they're not used to having someone around that doesn't celebrate Christmas. So when my aunt said, "Did Sam go see Santa yet?" I just say no and don't make a big deal out of it. Or when that same aunt said, "Wait till next year--he'll be grabbing all of the ornaments off of your tree!" I just laugh. No sense in making a point of telling her that Sam doesn't do trees or Santa, because she'll just forget it again.
So like I said, I'm trying to be patient with them. But it's hard when another aunt, who I have spoken to in detail about Sam and Christmas, gives him an ORNAMENT that says Baby's First Christmas on it. That was wrong on so many levels, even beyond the fact that it says Christmas 2003 on it. (Hello, regift!) That one made me think that this particular aunt was doing it on purpose.
Anyway, I have got some big plans for Hanukkah this year. I'm making latkes and doughnuts, and we've got the dreidel and some gelt and everything. I'm looking forward to it!