Jewish for Christmas

Growing as an MOT — a member of the tribe; part of the Jewish community — Christmas was never this imminent holiday that warmed the cockles of my heart. Rather, my excitement and joy was revved up by the impending beginning of Chanukah, the eight-night-long holiday that has as many valid spellings of its name as it does days filled with delicious fried food, gifts, wine, song, and celebration. Every family I knew had its own special Chanukah celebrations that included traditions unique to them, from tempura veggies to Chanukah stockings for the Chanukah faeries to fill.

More interestingly, however, were the number of Jewish families I knew who had very specific traditions that centered on Christmas, a holiday that has no inherent connections to Judaism. However, given the culture we live in that has a Santa in every department store and Christmas carols on every radio station (I was just introduced to Dominic the Italian Donkey and am heartbroken to have missed this classic tune while growing up!), it’s no wonder that even cultures that don’t celebrate Christmas have figured out a way to benefit from a day that seems to cross so many socio-demographic identities.

The super-stereotypical Jewish Christmas celebration includes eating take-out Chinese food. This likely stems from New York City where — although many restaurants are closed on such a widely celebrated holiday like Christmas — most Chinese food places are happily open and serving clientele. Given that most grocery stores close for some period of time too, having an option like Chinese may have emerged as a survival mechanism; if you forgot to shop for food in advance, or ran out of a crucial ingredient, it is usually impossible to solve this issue on Christmas Day. Rather, placing an order for Chinese take-out/delivery lets everyone choose their own preference of food, offers some feeling of celebration without decking the house in green and red, and fills hungry tummies while still supporting businesses for which Christmas isn’t the end-all, be-all. Some Denver area restaurants (Chinese and otherwise) will be open for both dining in and taking out on Christmas day — call first or check their social media pages to ensure you avoid an incredibly disappointing moment.

A great local-tradition favorite by some Jewish folks (and of course, others for whom Christmas doesn’t hold such an important role) is visiting the Denver Zoo’s Zoo Lights or the Denver Botanic Gardens’ Blossoms of Light on Christmas Eve, or erev Christmas, as my family always liked to call it (erev is the night before a special day or holiday). These gorgeous, jaw-dropping light displays are open both Christmas Eve AND the evening of Christmas day, and these times are the same price as and offer the same opportunities as any other evening. However, especially on Christmas eve, attendance is usually cut down by at least half, if not more, reducing lines, increasing visibility, and leaving more churros and hot chocolate for those who desire edible warmth while enjoying the lights.

Christmas may not be directly relevant to those of us who consider ourselves members of the Jew-tang clan (Challah!), but a lot of us have found special ways and traditions to celebrate December 25 nonetheless.