A Jewish love letter to Christmas
MICHAEL TAUBE It’s a busy time at our house. The Christmas tree is decorated with beautiful ornaments and white lights. The wreath is on the door. Garland is attached to the bannisters. The stockings are hung with care. My son is already admiring his bevy of presents.
Sounds like a typical Christmas story you’ve heard a million time before, right? Well, not this one: I was born Jewish.
It’s a tale I’ve told before. Although I’ve been agnostic for more than 30 years, I’ve celebrated Christmas with my Catholic wife — and long before I ever met her. I don’t observe any Jewish holiday, including Hanukkah. Most of my immediate family still do, and I’m glad they feel the desire to maintain some traditions in their households.
Why would a non-religious Jew celebrate a festive holiday he didn’t grow up with? The funny thing is, I actually did.
I have wonderful memories of Christmas as a child. I would go to my friends’ homes and help them decorate their trees, light displays and front doors. My mother and father took me to see Santa Claus. I went to the Eaton’s Santa Claus parade, and the Christmas-themed windows at Simpsons. I often went to see either Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker Suite,” or the Canadian Brass play at Roy Thompson Hall, on or around Christmas Eve.
And when people warmly wished us a “Merry Christmas,” as they usually did, we happily wished them the same.
Sadly, the one thing we never had was a Christmas tree. My father and I always wanted one, but my mother wasn’t comfortable with it. She always liked looking at them in department stores and other houses, but couldn’t envision one in her own home.
When I started to bring Christmas trees (real ones, of course) into my own house, my mother quickly grew to love them and always put up an ornament or two. She passed away five years ago from cancer, so we purchased a Hanukkah-oriented ornament in her memory that goes on our tree each year. My father always puts it up, so they can both continue to celebrate the festive season with us.
I realize what I do for Christmas may sound unusual to some Star readers, but it’s not all that unique. For instance, early American Jews had a real affinity for this holiday.
In Penne L. Restad’s book Christmas in America: A History, an 1877 issue of the Philadelphia Times reported “the Hebrew brethren did not keep aloof” from Christmas, and that young Jewish children “were as happy … as Christian children” with the Christmas trees that “bloomed” in their homes.
Some modern non-Christian families appear to be keeping up this wonderful Christmas tradition. There are largescale Hanukkah bushes shaped exactly like Christmas trees with a Star of David serving as a tree topper that you occa- sionally see in people’s homes.
More recently, my eye has caught notice of the occasional Hanukkah-style door wreath. This is wonderful to see.
In my view, Christmas is not just for Christians. Placing restrictions on a person’s enjoyment of a particular celebration, and telling them they can’t or shouldn’t participate in a specific religious or cultural event, only helps facilitate an environment of ignorance and intolerance. Which is the exact opposite of what the holidays — including Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa — are supposed to represent.
Fortunately, our public and private schools continue to teach students about different cultural events, customs and traditions. My son loves Christmas, but the knowledge and understanding he’s acquired about other holidays will last him for a lifetime.
Parents should also consider joining their children on this exciting personal journey of discovery during the festive season. What’s the worst that can happen — they’ll actually have some fun?
My sincere hope is that Christmas will one day be viewed as a holiday we can all enjoy in our own way. It may not include trees, music or wreaths on the doors, like I have, but will embody the spirit of what Charles Dickens brilliantly wrote in A Christmas Carol: “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”
Merry Christmas, everyone.