Jews and decorations at Chanukah and Christmas time

[scarlettina]

While reading the New York Times this morning, I came across this piece, called "Jewish in a Winter Wonderland,", about a pair of Jewish newlyweds who decide that, being across the country from family where no one would know, they would put up a Christmas tree just because they wanted to. They're adults, after all, and they can indulge in all the

Comments

[mimerki]

As someone who pretty deliberately removed herself from Christianity (there was a period where I also deliberately removed all the cultural words from my vocabulary because I don't need to take Jesus's name in vain, he not being an emissary of my deity), I'm always a little torn on Christmas. In the last couple of years, as the crazy Xtians have gotten more vocal about the supposed War On Christmas (tm), I have gotten more accepting of the idea that it's a cultural holiday: They're right! It's not about Jesus being born. It's an excuse to give presents and eat cookies and ruthlessly slaughter pine trees! What was I thinking all those years that I rejected it?!? Everyone loves presents and cookies and slaughtering pine trees!

Okay, that and I can reference the birth of Mithras on Dec 25th and relax completely about the seeming Christianity of the holiday. I don't worship Mithras any more than I worship Christ, but I don't have any issue with celebrating his birth.

[herself_nyc]

Funny you should talk about this--this year for the first time in, well, EVER, I felt a real urge to buy some blinky lights and string them around my living room. I didn't mostly because I wasn't sure where to buy any so close to the day, and I have a dearth of electrical outlets. But I was telling myself that twinkling lights are just twinkling lights and I enjoy those and so why not have them?

I might still buy some next week.

This year I also starting saying “Merry Christmas” to a lot of people because I am now at the point where I think, 'why the hell not'?

I'm told the Japanese celebrate Xmas as some sort of Annual Gift Day, which for them is completely divorced from Christianity, which they know nothing of at all anyhow. So they get all the fun & consumerism of it and none of the guilt, supposedly.

[oldmangrumpus]

See, if it's just a case of a decoration gap, I think Jews should fill that with Lots and LOTS of Chanukah decorations.

Bag the bush - it's too obivously derivative - but, hey, it's a Festival of Lights, right?? Try and break the Bonneville Power Administration! Sure, blue and white should predominate, just like red and green for those other people, but why not put a spinning giant driedel in the front yard? Why not have a 12-foot high Chanukieh (sp?)??

Chanukah is a minor holiday, you say? So was Christmas two or three centuries ago (the big thing then being Easter). Who says you can't pump up Chanukah?

[dianora2]

Interesting. It's certainly an area in which my opinion is that everyone should do whatever they want to do and to hell with everybody else. I'm an atheist but I still put up this pretty wreath I have every year, because it's pretty, and my Mickey Mouse stocking, because it's Mickey Mouse, and they make me happy. I never buy anything with Christian overtones, although I don't think of Santa as having Christian overtones, "St. Nick" notwithstanding.

One of my best friends in high school was Hindu Indian, and her family had a (white) Christmas tree every year. They just thought it was fun. Mileage varies, as always. It's all about what makes you comfortable.

[mevennen]

>One of my best friends in high school was Hindu Indian, and her family had a (white) Christmas tree every year.

I just read an interview in the local supermarket magazine with a Sikh family, about how they do Christmas - they have no idea why they celebrate Xmas because they are, duh, Sikhs: they just like it. The interview has a recipe for Grandma's special curried Christmas Eve potatoes.

Personally, I am a pagan who just celebrated Solstice and Christmas as well - hell, I'd celebrate Chanukah and Diwali if I didn't feel I might be treading on other people's cultural toes. I wouldn't go quite as far as the local council here in England who has suggested that we all amalgamate it into one big month-long festival and call it Winterval, but it's probably heading that way.

If anyone of any other persuasion wants to celebrate Solstice, I'd say bring it on: we're all making it up as we go along anyway. Paganism is a revivalist, Romantic sub-culture. We have no idea how the ancient Druids celebrated Solstice, or even, really, if they