Right up front: I celebrate Hanukah. I do not put up a tree, put lights around my home, mistletoe over ever doorway and I do not host a special dinner.
However, I somehow celebrate Christmas! My extended family, save my parents, have married into families that do celebrate Noel. In turn, the in-laws began to join in on the Hanukah festivities. My sister calls this season "Hanamus". She puts up a fake tree (it's actually quite pretty and doesn't make her kids allergies take flight)and she decorates it in blue and white. My younger sibling is quite artistic and through the years has made numerous ornaments that are Jewish in nature. She has miniature menorahs, stars of David, pretend latkes and dreidels, the chocolate coins hung all over the tree! She puts her silver menorah on the mantle in the same livingroom that the tree takes up residence in starting at Thanksgiving.
My sister-in-law hasn't been quite as elaborate, but she too makes sure our nephew has had a taste of both sides of his family heritages. Her husband calls himself an atheist, but his parents raised him in a home with two religions as well.
Our daughter married a wonderful young man who loves the season of giving. Since he joined our family, we go to their home and take part in a very lovely Christmas Eve supper. Our eldest makes a turkey. I bring my ever famous mashed potatoes. Her mother-in-law doesn't cook at all, but brings vegetables for us to steam. Our son-in-law has found a love of baking (since I'm a foody and he lived with us for almost a year, something of me rubbed off!) and usually decides to make a beautiful dessert. We sit down and talk about the coming year and all of our hopes and dreams. That has become a very warming holdiay event. It also allows us to have a small quiet get-together with relatives that even after 7 years, we truly don't know all that well.
Next year will be a highly anticipated function-it will be the first time we will celebrate as grandparents. I'm sure we will break in some new ways of being together then!
However, one of the most creative Christmas traditions I came up with had nothing to do with family! At least not in the traditional sense. My husband and I ran a private pre-school and day care for many years and came up with a way for all the kids to share the holidays. We always closed our school on Christmas Eve Day and remained closed until after New Year's Day, so the entire week before we claimed it "Share a Holiday" Event. All the parents and kids would pick a snack or meal and would share their favorite food with the others. But we didn't stop there! Before we served the dish, we had them relate to their friends why this edible was special to their family. The story behind how it came to be and who started it. My husband and I also shared our favorite holiday food with them-potato latkes and homemade applesauce. We always had them help make the fruit part of the snack. We encouraged the parents to join in on the fun with their children.
It's been several years since my husband and I changed professions, however we have many of our former students still calling us, sending e-mails and using snail mail to share their latest "new" family tradition. Their staying in touch around with us all these years is another way of celebrating the joy of the season.
Sharing different heritages, stories, food and games deepens the bond among age groups. After all, this time of the year, we should consider all of us family.
Carine Nadel has always been able to look at life's events in non-traditional ways. Visit her on: http://www.Carine-whatscooking.com to read what she's all about |
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