The 2023 Winter Solstice began at 7:27pm last night. No matter your religious tradition we all live on the same planet and those of us in the northern hemisphere have reached the darkest point of the year. For a few days the amount of daylight will remain the same and then, gradually, the minutes of…
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To Tree or Not to Tree: Interfaith Families Sort Out the Holidays
What will we do about Christmas and/or Hanukkah? Each member of an interfaith family arrives with their own traditions, which may or may not be satisfying. What are your needs? Are they being met? Chances are you haven’t asked that of yourself and other family members. December, where the mega holiday, Christmas, meets the minor holiday, Hanukkah, can be…
Read More »What will you do on December 25th?
It’s the BIG one, Christmas! What will you do on December 25? I like this article’s opening which says, there’s more than one way to spend Christmas Day. For some folks Christmas Eve is the time for a big meal and presents under the tree. Then it’s a hike on Christmas Day. For many of us it’s…
Read More »Oh Hanukkah, Oh Christmas
Oh Hanukkah, Oh Christmas, you poor misunderstood holidays! If I could, I would educate all of America about these two surprisingly recent blockbuster holidays. If their pasts were understood it would be easier to speak of them without rousing anxiety and resentment. Let’s just keep in mind that that’s the water in which we are…
Read More »Make the most of December
Last week I wrote to you that experiencing Christmas will not destroy your child’s Jewish identity and it won’t. Period. But that still means you have to GIVE them a Jewish identity. Going without Christmas won’t build a Jewish identity; you have to proactively teach your child that they are Jewish. So if you’re hanging…
Read More »Christmas won’t destroy your child’s Jewish identity
Many years ago Christmas fell on a Saturday. My family was invited to the annual Christmas party of some friends and the party was on Friday night, AKA Christmas Eve. My husband and I typically took our kids to Erev Shabbat services. They were under ten and a short service worked well for them. But…
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