i know we are several months from December but...

[jewscout]

I am sitting here having dinner w/ my kids and they are watching Paw Patrol on their Kindle as they are eating...and after a minute or two I realize...their watching the Christmas episode where the pups go to help Santa Claus

which got me thinking about raising jewish kids in America when this monstrous of holidays looms heavy in the popular consciousness.

Last year I had to explain why we don't have a Christmas tree, but grandma (my mother who is not jewish), does have one. And this year my daughter asked why Santa doesn't come to our house. The only thing I can think to say is that they will have 8 days of presents w/ Hanukkah (which I am totally against in principle, but what can you do?) as well as presents on Passover and Rosh HaShanah.

I count myself lucky that they will be attending Kindergarten at the local Hebrew School so I don't have to be that jewish parent calling the school when they send my kids home w/ a Christmas tree ornament.:sarcastic and that they won't be the only jewish kids in class, as was the fate of my wife and her sisters.

So I guess my question is, how have others dealt with this typical American Jewish situation? How did your parents teach you about it and/or how have you dealt with it with your own children? My kids will be like many American Jews where they will have both holidays, since all of my family is non-Jewish and half of my wife's family is non-Jewish as well, but I want to connect them to their jewish identity and make that just as "cool" as a fat man bringing presents on a magic sleigh.

thanks!

 

[Flankerl]

Iam not American nor have i kids yet but i dont even remember if it was such a big problem while growing up.

I grew up in a small 3XXX people village in the alps. Needless to say it was probably more catholic than Rome itself. Every single procession for every single Saint, mountain cross and even river was done.
And at the beginning of December you are suddenly confronted with grown men wearing devil or demon costumes armed with large thin sticks hunting people through the village hitting them in the legs and kidnapping kids from their parents. Which is actually a fun memory and all this softcore Christmas stuff here in western Germany is just cute.

Did i craft Stars, Trees and whatnot during December? Yeah kinda. But our parents made it clear that its something we do in school and not at home except for homework. Later it was said more clearly by our parents that its all christian tradition and not jewish.

So iam probably not a huge help because our parents never really had a problem with us kids wanting a christmas tree or presents around that time of the year.
Actually i have never gotten a single present for Chanukkah and never have my siblings.
Perhaps we were just weird.

 

[xkatz]

So I guess my question is, how have others dealt with this typical American Jewish situation? How did your parents teach you about it and/or how have you dealt with it with your own children? My kids will be like many American Jews where they will have both holidays, since all of my family is non-Jewish and half of my wife's family is non-Jewish as well, but I want to connect them to their jewish identity and make that just as "cool" as a fat man bringing presents on a magic sleigh.

thanks!

I don't have children, let alone a wife. But as someone raised Jewish growing up, we never really did talk about Christmas other than the fact that we didn't celebrate it. I was never really jealous, oddly enough. But then again, about 20% of the people in my 1 million person county are Jewish. We would most winters go out to see the local Xmas lights and maybe listen to some Xmas-y music, but nothing that would necessarily be outright contradictory to being Jewish and nothing involving Christianity itself. TBH, I really hate what Hannukah has become in the US but I find the story behind it captivating. Maybe teach them about the story behind Hannukah. And take them out to a kosher (or non-kosher ) Chinese restaurant.

 

[Phil25]

I am not sure if I am allowed to post here, but I think we are allowed to ask respectful questions.
I wanted to ask what the difference between Hannukah, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippor and what is the story behind them. As these three festivals are not mentioned in Bible(as far as I know), I assume these were later developments of Judaism.

 

[xkatz]

I wanted to ask what the difference between Hannukah, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippor and what is the story behind them.

Hannukah celebrates the victory of the Jewish people over the Greek Seleucids, Rosh HaShana is the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur is the day of atonement.

 

[Phil25]

Hannukah celebrates the victory of the Jewish people over the Greek Seleucids, Rosh HaShana is the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur is the day of atonement.

Thanks

 

[Tarheeler]

I am not sure if I am allowed to post here, but I think we are allowed to ask respectful questions.
I wanted to ask what the difference between Hannukah, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippor and what is the story behind them. As these three festivals are not mentioned in Bible(as far as I know), I assume these were later developments of Judaism.

Chanukah is the only one not in the Torah; Rosh HaShanah (Zikhron Teru'ah, shabbat shabbaton, and Yom Teru'ah) and Yom Kippur (Yom HaKippurim) are discussed in Leviticus and Numbers.

 

[Akivah]

There is lots of cool stuff for kids in Hanuka. For my child, we decorated our house in blue and white, had one present/day, and made sure only Hanuka music played in our house. When confronted with the xmas spillover, we emphasized to her that it is a different religion. We demonstrated that we already have our own holiday traditons and don't need to celebrate the holiday traditions of others. I emphasized to her that the xian holiday celebrates the birth of their god. And pointed out how silly it was to believe that the creator of the universe was born a mere 2000 years ago. I think my child got it and realized that their holiday is nothing to be jealous of.

 

[Akivah]

You make a good point, JayaBholenath. Xmas as celebrated in the US isn't about their god anymore, it's all about the presents. Many xmas movies show adults that are messed up because they didn't get that one particular gift when they were little. It's like a made-for-mechandising holiday.

I'm so grateful to G-d that most Jewish holiday can't be marketed.

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

You make a good point, JayaBholenath. Xmas as celebrated in the US isn't about their god anymore, it's all about the presents. Many xmas movies show adults that are messed up because they didn't get that one particular gift when they were little. It's like a made-for-mechandising holiday.

I'm so grateful to G-d that most Jewish holiday can't be marketed.

I am sorry AkivahJi, I realized that I was in a blue DIR too late and deleted my message.

My apologizes

 

[metis]

My immediate family is mixed Christian and Judaism, so we celebrate both. My wife and one of our daughters and her family are Catholic, I and my other daughter and her kids are Jewish, and our son is agnostic but is getting married to a Christian. Our extended families accept this and have learned from each others' traditions.

 

[jewscout]

thanks everyone for your comments, good to see i'm not the only one in this boat

 

[CMike]

I am not sure if I am allowed to post here, but I think we are allowed to ask respectful questions.
I wanted to ask what the difference between Hannukah, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippor and what is the story behind them. As these three festivals are not mentioned in Bible(as far as I know), I assume these were later developments of Judaism.

I'm going to be lazy and just post the links because it's so much information.

Both Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashanah are in the Torah.

What is Yom Kippur? - The holiest day of the year. Fasting and atonement, solemnity and joy . . . - High Holidays

What Is Rosh Hashanah? - The anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, a day of judgment and coronation, the sounding of the shofar . . . - High Holidays

What is Hanukkah? - Chanukah Basics - Chanukah - Hanukkah

 

[Yosef-Firstborn]

I don't have children, let alone a wife. But as someone raised Jewish growing up, we never really did talk about Christmas other than the fact that we didn't celebrate it. I was never really jealous, oddly enough. But then again, about 20% of the people in my 1 million person county are Jewish. We would most winters go out to see the local Xmas lights and maybe listen to some Xmas-y music, but nothing that would necessarily be outright contradictory to being Jewish and nothing involving Christianity itself. TBH, I really hate what Hannukah has become in the US but I find the story behind it captivating. Maybe teach them about the story behind Hannukah. And take them out to a kosher (or non-kosher ) Chinese restaurant.

It was similar for me, growing up, except my sisters and I were the only Jewish kids in town, so we were more isolated. Oddly enough, I don't remember having a "talk" about why we don't celebrate what everyone else is celebrating, and there was no traumatic "moment" when I realized we were different, or that I felt we were missing something. I think because my mother celebrated Chanukkah with us from an early age, before I was even in school to see my peers doing Xmas. But not sure....that is a good question, as to how it just naturally filled into my life.

As I'm getting closer to parenthood age, I wonder about this issue, myself. Certainly a big thing to tackle.