Can American Jews Celebrate Christmas?

In case you haven’t noticed on my Instagram, I halve been going Christmas CRAZY! I have been decorating, DIY-ing, baking, eating, drinking, watching and listening to anything and EVERYTHING Christmas or holiday themed! I normally get really obsessive over things I like, but I have never been obsessed over Christmas like this. I noticed this year that EVERYONE seems to be more obsessed than usual – people were posting about Christmas before Halloween! – so I at least feel like I am in good company.

However, it definitely begs the question: am I *allowed* to be this obsessed with Christmas, as a proud Jew? It is a question I have been thinking and talking about a lot the last few weeks, and while I don’t think there is any singular or correct answer, I thought I would share some of my musings and personal experience here!

First of all, I am 100% Jewish on both sides. I was raised Jewish, was surrounded by Jewish family and friends growing up, celebrate (almost) all Jewish holidays, and have Jewish ancestors as far back as I know on both sides. I never celebrated Christmas growing up, and only ever “officially” celebrated a few times with past boyfriends/roommates/friends.

However, growing up as an American Jew means being BOMBARDED by Christmas all holiday season – week after week, year after year. It is by far the most commercialized holiday that exists in America, and is definitely exploited to the max in our capitalist society. It is SO in your face that you simply cannot ignore it!

It also comes off as a very secularized holiday – not completely devoid of religion, but somewhat detached from it. Much in the same way that many non-religious Jews celebrate Hanukkah, it always seemed to me that most Christians celebrate Christmas without having such a strong religious attachment to it or even going to church.

For these reasons, I think a lot of non-Christian Americans grow up having some sort of connection to or experience with celebrating Christmas, even if they are somewhat observant in their own religion (Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc). It feels ok, because we see it advertised everywhere and everyone else is doing it, right?

As I get older, I have started to have more personal experiences related to Christmas, and attach a more positive connotation to it. For instance, I was in Miami/Palm Beach during December the last two years (although sadly will not be going this year because of Covid 😢) and have very fond memories of seeing the Christmas lights on palm trees, or sitting inside cafes drinking a holiday themed coffee and then going to the beach.

I also am someone that has always been obsessed with seasonal food/drinks, so anything holiday-themed is totally up my alley. And as an OG Trader Joe’s addict, I get SUPER excited every December when they release all the yummy holiday treats. Since they are limited edition and sell out fast, I always make sure to STOCK UP!

This year in particular, I have been REALLY into decorating my new apartment, so adding some seasonal winter decor has been really enjoyable. For the most part, all of the decor is very natural and neutral, with objectively “winter themed” objects throughout, like pine trees and pine cones.

However, if some of it is overtly “Christmasy”, then so be it! I can put up a mini Christmas tree with some DIY ornaments and still be Jewish – it’s not like I am praying to Jesus as I hang up the ornaments or something 🙄 It is just a nice way to make my apartment cute and cozy, which we all need while we are trapped inside during this never-ending pandemic!

I also really love that the holidays are all about spending time and making memories with loved ones. My best friend has two toddler boys that are celebrating their first “real” Christmas this year, and I can’t WAIT to make gingerbread houses and do other fun things with them!

So you might be wondering at this point what the problem is. Well it is kind of complicated. For my first point, I can’t ignore the problematic history of Christmas and Jews (specifically my Sephardic Jewish ancestors). During the Inquisition in Spain, Jews were forced to put up Christmas trees to “prove” that they had denounced their religion and were submitting to the force of the Catholics. Those who did not submit were killed. Many fled Spain to Morocco and other countries in North Africa (hence how my family ended up there).

I think it’s SO important to recognize this painful history, but I personally think there is power in recognizing it, and then being grateful that as an American Jew, I can choose to put up a tree or decorate or celebrate Christmas BY CHOICE, without coercion or fear or persecution for not doing so. That is what our ancestors wanted for us Jews, after all. Freedom of religion, freedom to do what we want. My interpretation of this is mine, so I do not need everyone to agree with it!

It is also VERY common for American Jews to marry non-Jews in the 21st century, so the chance of me marrying a non-Jew and celebrating Christmas with him and my family is pretty high. If there is nothing wrong with that, then why not be “allowed” to celebrate it with my friends, or by myself in my own way? The answer is that there is not!

My final point is about Hanukkah – why not celebrate that instead? Well, what most people don’t realize is that Hanukkah as we know it in America is pretty much a sham 😂 What I mean by that is that Hanukkah is a VERY insignificant holiday religiously. The Hanukkah we know today was largely shaped by the commercialization of Christmas, and the reaction of American Jewish parents wanting their kids to feel less left out and more connected to Judaism. If you want to read more about this, click here.

Aside from those technical points about Hannukah, there just isn’t much about it that appeals to me. Unlike most other Jewish holidays that are very season-centered (like Sukkot, which features all seasonal fall foods), everything about Hanukkah’s “aesthetic” feels very artificial and forced. Bright blue and silver (yuck), big giant Jewish stars, weird dreidels – it’s just not for me fam! I also am not a huge fan of the food. Latkes are aight, but jelly donuts are just gross.

Meanwhile, Christmas has peppermint chocolate, hot cocoa, gingerbread, panettone (don’t hate!) and tons of other yummy treats. Obviously Christmas decorations can get artifical and wayyy over done VERY fast, but the aesthetic I am seeing this year appeals SO much to me: natural tones of pine green, brown and white; and natural elements like pine cones, dried oranges, twine and burlap. I love it!

At the end of the day, everyone can do whatever they want whenever they want, and though others can judge, it doesn’t change our right to self-determination over our own lives. However, I love sharing my thoughts with you guys, and always hope to start productive conversations and teach everyone at least one interesting fact! If you enjoyed this post, please leave a comment below. And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for more holiday content 🌲