Ive come a long way, baby! Considering that I had never heard of Christmas or Santa Claus until I was 12, I too felt happy when on Monday evening the first snowflakes started falling, knowing it would be a freshly powdered white Christmas the following morning. Of course for me there was no religious connection to the day, but the joy of seeing Denver enrobed in her sparkly snow finery.
To the disappointment of faithful Christians, Christmas has become a secular American holiday, neutralized of its religious significance. Nowadays it is all about the winter wonderland feeling and the accompanying joy of snow-related activities, be they sledding, sleighing, roasting chestnuts on hot open fires or hearing the echo of bells jingling in cold crisp air. Even the gift-giving is not religiously themed, but depending on who you talk to a spirit of generosity related to the day, or strictly American consumerism.
Either way, it seems the Jewish community has found a way of coping with the whole Christmas fever.
The spectrum has two extremes, either trying to assimilate and being part of Christmas, or being against it with Nittle Nacht (no Torah study on Christmas eve), indirectly giving credence to Christmas.
While Christmas used to be somewhat of a threat to certain parts of the Jewish community, I sense that that time has passed. I dont know whether this is because Christmas has lost its religious strength, or because Christian-Jewish relations have matured and healed in the last decades. They no longer resemble the times of our Jewish ancestors, who suffered vicious anti-Semitism from rabid Christians who, for centuries, brought misery and torture. Or perhaps the maturation is because the Jewish community has strengthened, especially in its connection to Chanukah. The collective Jewish chip on the shoulder seems to be gone.
The rest of this article is available in the IJN’s print edition only. Contact Carol to order your copy at (303) 861-2234 or email carol@ijn.com.
