Last year, I promised to stop spending the holiday season defending Hanukkah from the influence of Christmas. I said then, “When I see stores selling Hanukkah stockings, Hanukkah tree toppers, and Hanukkah tinsel or wreaths, I’ll take a deep breath and not let it send me into a tailspin of worry about the future of pluralistic Judaism. It means I will remember that it’s not Bed, Bath and Beyond’s responsibility, nor Amazon’s, to preserve the logical thematic separation between Hanukkah and Christmas.” Since then, I’ve made progress, though I still did get a twitch in my eye every time I saw someone on Facebook claim, even jokingly, that Starbucks ought to make a Hanukkah cup.
Please read the rest of this year’s Hanukkah post at Kveller.com where I REALLY AND TRULY promise to lose the Hanukkah attitude and make this Hanukkah more than a going-through-the-motions holiday for my family and certainly more than “it’s NOT Christmas” in its theme and essence.
Latest posts by Nina Badzin (see all)
- Dear Nina in The Guardian - May 1, 2024
- Overtalking, Undertalking, and Lessons for Friendships in the Art of Storytelling - April 30, 2024
- Dear Nina in The Wall Street Journal - April 27, 2024
- 5 Friendship Issues to Consider Addressing with a Therapist - April 17, 2024
