Christmas in the Land of the Jews, Part I
Let's make one thing clear: I may spend 85% of my time in Jerusalem and roughly 8% of my time as of late in Bethlehem, but there's not a whole lot around me to make Christmas seem like Christmas as I'm used to this. On the off chance I hear Christmas music somewhere (generally as futzing around Bethlehem or in the Rothberg cafe, which I guess is run by Christian Arabs), it pretty much makes my day. I've also pretty intensely decked out my room (I will need to post photos. It is a little bit ridiculous) and listen to Christmas music CONSTANTLY... but save for when I take time to create the image in my head, I am just not feeling it here.
For those of you who haven't heard or overheard this, Erin--my roommate and best friend here-- is going back for Christmas. She has been going through a really difficult period, and it's a really good idea, though she's hands down the closest thing I've got to family here.
My other recent familial acquisition, Nomi, was offering comfort and said she'd be glad to help me celebrate Christmas-- however one does that!
Now there's an interesting question, especially from a Jewish perspective. Jewish holidays have... how do I put this delicately? They've got a lot of theology, ritual, and idea behind them. Let's look at their holiest holiday: Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement. It's separated by a week from the New Year. They spend that week really looking deep inside, reflecting on their actions that year. They make a point of apologizing/making amends with all the people they wronged that year, then on the day of, they fast. On Sukkot, which is a harvest holiday kind of about the impermanence of Jewish life for awhile, they actually build a little temporary house and eat all their meals in it. Passover, no eating things that take awhile to cook/make because there wasn't time for those shenanigans when they were running from the Egyptians. We all know Hanukkah is about the destruction of the Second Temple, and the miracle candle, blah, blah. Point is, there's a lot more ritual to it than any Christian holiday I've celebrated. Admittedly, that is maybe because I'm not from a strongly religious upbringing. Still. The whole Santa/Easter bunny/CHOCOLATE EVERYWHERE thing...
So, let's get back to the question. How do I, Allison Neumann, celebrate Christmas, the most important holiday of the year?
This ties in well to the whole roots train of thought I've been rolling with lately, and the concept of "home" more as a memory-- a place and time that can never be recaptured in the same form. I adore Christmas. More accurately, I adore the Christmas season. I put up decorations and play Christmas music because it sets a scene. It sets the mood for some Christmas-y, home memories. It's a home memory flavor.
There's not a whole lot of ritual to my Christmas. All you need to do to make my Christmas is spend some time with me under those pretenses. Maybe bake (and consume) some (mass quantities) of cookies and chocolate. And wear a big sweater, and prepare for a hot beverage. Man, I love hot beverages.
I'm happy here. I've got a really potent sense of purpose, one I'm lamenting (and fearing) losing. My life feels rich here. I have really, really enjoyed meeting my new friends here, and I am going to miss them more than I can say. I'm really unsure if...
Sigh.
I'll finish this later. Love you all.
For those of you who haven't heard or overheard this, Erin--my roommate and best friend here-- is going back for Christmas. She has been going through a really difficult period, and it's a really good idea, though she's hands down the closest thing I've got to family here.
My other recent familial acquisition, Nomi, was offering comfort and said she'd be glad to help me celebrate Christmas-- however one does that!
Now there's an interesting question, especially from a Jewish perspective. Jewish holidays have... how do I put this delicately? They've got a lot of theology, ritual, and idea behind them. Let's look at their holiest holiday: Yom Kippur. The Day of Atonement. It's separated by a week from the New Year. They spend that week really looking deep inside, reflecting on their actions that year. They make a point of apologizing/making amends with all the people they wronged that year, then on the day of, they fast. On Sukkot, which is a harvest holiday kind of about the impermanence of Jewish life for awhile, they actually build a little temporary house and eat all their meals in it. Passover, no eating things that take awhile to cook/make because there wasn't time for those shenanigans when they were running from the Egyptians. We all know Hanukkah is about the destruction of the Second Temple, and the miracle candle, blah, blah. Point is, there's a lot more ritual to it than any Christian holiday I've celebrated. Admittedly, that is maybe because I'm not from a strongly religious upbringing. Still. The whole Santa/Easter bunny/CHOCOLATE EVERYWHERE thing...
So, let's get back to the question. How do I, Allison Neumann, celebrate Christmas, the most important holiday of the year?
This ties in well to the whole roots train of thought I've been rolling with lately, and the concept of "home" more as a memory-- a place and time that can never be recaptured in the same form. I adore Christmas. More accurately, I adore the Christmas season. I put up decorations and play Christmas music because it sets a scene. It sets the mood for some Christmas-y, home memories. It's a home memory flavor.
There's not a whole lot of ritual to my Christmas. All you need to do to make my Christmas is spend some time with me under those pretenses. Maybe bake (and consume) some (mass quantities) of cookies and chocolate. And wear a big sweater, and prepare for a hot beverage. Man, I love hot beverages.
I'm happy here. I've got a really potent sense of purpose, one I'm lamenting (and fearing) losing. My life feels rich here. I have really, really enjoyed meeting my new friends here, and I am going to miss them more than I can say. I'm really unsure if...
Sigh.
I'll finish this later. Love you all.