When Santa slides down the chimney, he may find sufganiyot and latkes instead of cookies and milk in some homes. This month, the first night of Hanukkah will occur on Christmas Day. Since 1900, the 25th day of Kislev and the 25th day of December have coincided four times.
For a number of interfaith families, that means it’s Christmakkuh.
Technically, Christmakkuh is not a legal holiday. It is, however, far more festive than Festivus. There is no airing of grievances, no unadorned aluminum pole and no feats of strength.
Christmakkuh does mean food and gifts and good tidings. It is also more common than its cousin Thanksgivukkah, when Hanukkah occurs the same day as Thanksgiving. That’s only happened twice, in 1863 and 2013.
(Bill Motchan)
The concept of Christmakkuh most likely was created for a 2003 episode of “The O.C.” In the Fox teen drama, the character Seth Cohen (played by Adam Brody, who is Jewish) is intent on a special holiday celebration for his interfaith family. More recently, Brody played Rabbi Noah Roklov in “Nobody Wants This.” Note: Hanukkah started on Dec. 19 when the “Christmukkah” episode of “The O.C.” aired. You can stream it on Hulu.
Like the fictional Cohens, interfaith families in St. Louis who routinely merge Christmas and Hanukkah will have a unique opportunity to do it on the same day this year.
Gail Appleson, who is Jewish, is half of an interfaith couple. Her husband, Guillermo Rodriguez, is Catholic and is a chair of Jewish Community Relations Council’s Shalom Amigos interfaith dialogue group.
“We do decorate our house with both Christmas and Hanukkah decorations,” Appleson said. “I light Hanukkah candles every night, and Guillo usually stands with me. We hang a limited number of lights outside, but they are blue and white. Guillo has a small, tabletop Christmas tree.”
Appleson said the couple generally attend a pancake breakfast and gift opening on Christmas morning with one of Rodriguez’s daughters.
“His daughter Annie actually gave me most of the Hanukkah decorations I have for our house,” Appleson said.
Ashley Wolkowitz grew up in a Christian home in Herrin, Ill., just east of Carbondale. She and her husband, Brad, who is Jewish, have always tried to blend the two holidays. Ashley describes their philosophy as having an equal opportunity holiday household.
“We do it in a way that honors the unique traditions and beauty of both of them,” Wolkowitz said. “For us, it’s about creating a home that’s rich in love and warmth, that really embodies what both of the holidays mean.”
The family celebrates the two holidays and embraces the traditions of both to create something meaningful, she said.
“We share the story of Hanukkah, but we also have a tree, and we embrace the magic of Christmas,” Wolkowitz said. “We’ve always had my in-laws over on Christmas night, and everyone is really comfortable with that balance. We’ve found a way to celebrate both holidays and blend the traditions without any of them losing their meaning.
“We’ll celebrate Christmas the front end of the day and then traditional Hanukkah customs once the sun goes down. Then we’ll light the menorah and have latkes and a traditional Hanukkah dinner.”
Ashley and Brad Wolkowitz have two children, ages 2 and 5, who are being raised Jewish. They also are being taught the importance of respecting other faiths. Christmakkuh offers an ideal opportunity to do just that.
“We feel like doing all of those things gives our kids an opportunity to just be really well-rounded individuals who are more inclusive and accepting of other people,” Ashley Wolkowitz said.
Like Wolkowitz, Raymee Alper grew up in a Christian household. She and her husband, David, belong to Temple Israel and are raising their children in a Jewish environment. Mila Alper, 15, had her bat mitzvah, and Emmett Alper, 12, is preparing for his next year. While Hanukkah will take center stage for the Alpers, Christmas also is part of their December holiday tradition.
“I really like having a Christmas tree,” Raymee Alper said. “I can’t imagine giving it up, and I think I’ve turned my kids into little Christmas tree lovers. My husband has his own set of Hanukkah traditions from when he was younger, and we try to do those. I think this year it will be interesting, as we’re ramping down from Christmas Day, to have the first night of Hanukkah. It will definitely be interesting to blend the meals together a little bit more.”
Alper said her kids have already mentioned that they’ll likely get latkes on Christmas Day. She said it’s important for them to understand that the Christmas tree is a symbol of an important holiday she grew up with.
“I think it’s great that my kids get to see that side of the pageantry of Christmas and what it means from a religious perspective,” she said. “Christmas has been the holiday that helped them to bridge their understanding. And it helps them ask better questions about Hanukkah and having great discussions at school about Kwanzaa and other holidays that are happening during this time that maybe Christmas tends to overshadow a little bit.”
