*The opinions and comments of this blog are those of the author…which is me. While you may not agree with my opinions and your beliefs may differ from mine, I ask that you RESPECT my comments, even if you don’t agree with them, as I RESPECT yours.*
I am a Jew. My mother’s family is Jewish. My father’s family is Catholic. I was raised in a Unitarian-Universalist church. But, I am a Jew. The Dude is Atheist. The kids are Jews. We belong to a temple. XGirl and XBoy both attend Sunday School (much to their dismay). X Girl attends Hebrew School one night a week (much to her dismay). I have my beliefs. The Dude has his beliefs. It all seems to just work out. However, once November rolls around, people are so confused by our family they don’t know what to do with us! Why? We celebrate both holidays. The menorahs are mixed in with the Xmas lights. It’s Hanukkah and I have been dreaming of latkes, candles and happy memories with my family. The kids getso excited for Hanukkah. They love it! The day before Thanksgiving we decorated our house for Hanukkah. This basically means we put out our 50,000 or so menorahs out, 50 billion driedels, the Hanukkah placemats I found at Pottery Barn Kids and various crafts that the kids have done over the years. Each menorah has special meaning and memories to us. We have such a nice time during this holiday.
Then there is Xmas. THIS is The Dude’s FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR! I love Xmas! We deck the house out! A tall slim tree in the foyer, a 6 ft tree for the kids in the basement and our big 9ft family tree in the family room. Every ornament on our tree is significant. Our tree is filled with memories. Ornaments with meaning and memories attached to them.
Like the Winnie the Pooh ornament from 1997 that we got in memory of a dear, close friend who died suddenly that fall. Wendy loved Winnie the Pooh.
Or the ornament that X Girl picked out to celebrate the birth of her baby brother in 2008.
Our stockings that are hung by the fireplace with care were all handmade by my mother in law. They truly are a labor of love.
And then of course there are the hundreds of handmade ornaments the kids have done over the years. Our tree is a symbol of the family The Dude and I created together over 15 years ago. It’s a testament of our love and happiness through the years. It’s our memory lane.
Xmas is not religious for us. It is our own time of togetherness as a family. Just like any other holiday. However, there are many Jews and Christians that have a problem with our participation in Xmas. “You are confusing the kids” Yeah, I don’t think so. “If you can’t accept Jesus Christ as your savior, you can’t celebrate Xmas.” Really? Who is gonna stop me? Seriously, it’s a great, fun time of year! I love it! Why do you care what I do? It saddens me that people can be so judgemental.
Then there is the “correct” way to greet me this time of year. I don’t really care! Say Happy Hanukkah! Say Merry Christmas! Say Happy Holidays! Just DON’T say Hey Bitch (well, most probably will). But, for more on this, please visit my fellow mommy blogger Mom-in-a-Million’s post on holiday greetings http://www.mom-in-a-million.com/2010/11/happy-holidays/.
December is a magical time of year. Spend it with your family. Enjoy the love that is keeping you warm. Be thankful. Be happy!
Gen X Mama 