I know many of my colleagues have written blog posts, Facebook updates and tweets telling the world we should stop mixing the two holidays. But guess what folks. We have no choice! Hanukkah begins tonight at sundown, (the 25th of Kislev) making tomorrow, Thanksgiving Day, the first day of Hanukkah. If you are an American Jew, you are celebrating both on the same day. And it's FINE!
What's to worry about? Are you afraid we will Americanize Hanukkah? Are you worried we will start giving gifts on Thanksgiving? (Actually my mom has been giving chocolate turkeys to the kids since forever... kind of like gelt... hmmm... maybe there is some crossover.)
The truth is, and you'll know this if you read my last blog about Thanksgiving (click here to read it again) my kids have always thought Thanksgiving WAS a Jewish holiday. Look at the evidence: 1. We are Jews.
2. There is ritual involved... we say the shehechyanu (a prayer expressing our thankfulness of being back together and reaching this auspicious time) candles on the table (though no blessing) and we go around the table and say what we are thankful for and we get our flu shots 3. there's a huge meal for which 4. we are a little bit dressed up and 5. the good dishes are used.
And then there's Hanukkah... which always falls on the 25th of Kislev, which whether you are Jewish or not, you'll know that could be any time between November and January. A fun holiday, great for kids, a big hit in the Religious School world, but not necessarily in the religious world.
So why are people getting so worked up that we are mashing them up together like a delicious concoction of latkes and cran-appple sauce?
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| American Gothikkah Some people found this one a bit offensive |
One signifies our the Jewish people's freedom from oppression, the other celebrates the American people's day of thanks for the bounty. You want to get real nit-picky, go ahead. Want to go all negative? Save it for your grown-up talk when the kids go to sleep. Let's have fun. These holidays are fun, and are meant to celebrate the best things: Freedom, lights, appreciation, family. I am fairly certain they go together as about well as latkes and turkey, which by they way, will be deep fried in oil this year, at our celebration.
What else will we be doing? Well, lighting the menorah and giving gifts, of course. Because for the first time in many years, I will get to celebrate Hanukkah with MY children, who do not live home any more. Thanks to this fluke of the calendar, I will have my three children lighting the Hanukkiah (Hanukkah menorah) together, not just with their parents, but with their grandparents and cousins! Maybe the kids will be getting chocolate gelt and chocolate turkeys!
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| My T shirt from ModernTribe.com I have been wearing it every day. |
Parents, I don't think that your children will complain in perpetuity that they do not get gifts every Thanksgiving. I think if you do this one up right, your families, like mine, will remember with a smile, that funky year when the secular and the Jewish calendars collided and we got to celebrate both together. And eat jelly donuts with our pumpkin pie.
Other "mashups" I've heard of out there:
- menurkey (or menurky): referring to a menorah in the shape of a turkey
- gobbletov: a silly made up greeting usable just this once
- and my favorite Tur-brisk-a-fil ... like a turducken, except this delicacy, just in time for Thanksgiving, is a turkey, stuffed brisket, stuffed with gefilte fish! Hold me back! (No, seriously, hold me back.)
That's enough, I think I've made my point and anyway it's time to make the latkes for the Thanksgiving feast.
And yes, I did sew tiny little yarmulkes onto the heads of the turkeys on the banquet-sized tablecloth I got for my mom at Bed Bath and Beyond.
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