A Channukah Rant

[rosends]

I hope not too many people are offended by this, but I just had to get this off my chest, and this seemed as safe a space as any.

Channukah is Channukah (regardless of your preferred English transliteration-spelling). It is not Jewish Christmas.

As such, I get really irked by the whole "Mystery Maccabee" thing. Three reasons:

1. Channukah is NOT ABOUT PRESENTS. Might it have a notion of Channukah Gelt? Sort of, maybe, ok. But presents? No thanks.
2. Channukah is not about consumerism. Jewish festivals shouldn't be excuses to buy gifts. Yes, we buy a lulav and etrog for Sukkot. Yes, we buy new clothes to honor holidays. Yes, some people buy little gifts for children as Afikoman gifts, but none of these is a "THE RC CAR IS ON SALE" kind of thing. Reducing a halachic observance to "Let's go buy a _______" cheapens the religious nature of the holiday.
3. We shouldn't be jealous of, or emulate non-Jewish practices like gifts (and "Secret Santa"). Bad enough some people have made an equivalent of an Elf on a Shelf.

Can't we just appreciate Channukah for what it is, instead of twisting it to be what it isn't?

Rant over. Sorry for the interruption.

 

[Rival]

I wish I'd never read this post.

I didn't even know these are things.

 

[Harel13]

I didn't even know these are things.

Oddly enough, neither did I. Must be an American thing... Though Chanukah in Israel also isn't perfect...

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Merry Hanukkah!

 

[IndigoChild5559]

As an American, I can say that at least among my own Jewish friends, it is customary to give little presents to the kids each night of Chanukah(very inexpensive) plus one good gift of money. My kids are grown, so I don't give Chanukah gifts except something for my granddaughter and nephew.

There used to be a problem with Jews celebrating Christmas. Making Chanukah a bigger deal basically solved that problem. At least that's how it seems when I read history. Maybe others have a different opinion.

 

[Harel13]

There used to be a problem with Jews celebrating Christmas. Making Chanukah a bigger deal basically solved that problem. At least that's how it seems when I read history. Maybe others have a different opinion.

There still is a problem with celebrating Christmas. It's sad to think that people searched for a "solution" to this problem. As @rosends wrote, Chanukah is not Jewish Christmas. It's a separate holiday that even predates Christmas by a couple hundred years.

 

[Flankerl]

Can't we just appreciate Channukah for what it is, instead of twisting it to be what it isn't?

No because the less observant American Jews barely teach their children anything about Jewish life.
As a result they have to compete against Christmas and full blown assimilation with assimilating the most anti-assimilation holiday we have.
That doesn't make sense? Don't worry it's not supposed to.

They excuse this by saying that in the US Christmas is a very intrusive holiday.
Yet at the same time Jews live in other majority Christian countries, often much more religious Christian countries and these weird Jews don't feel the need to accommodate for that.
How weird.

All throughout Kindergarten, elementary school and highschool in Austria I was effectively forced to sit through all the Christian holidays that these institutions took part in. Austria is a Catholic country so those occasions weren't rare.
And even though my siblings and I had to sit in the Church for entire sermons, with idols being carried around and all around us not a single one of us ever got a present for Chanukkah.
And would you look at that, we are all to varying degrees observant with no atheist in sight.


When American Jews talk about the intrusiveness of US Christmas I can just laugh.

Oh no those poor guys, there's Christmas music on the radio, good heavens, how will they survive, here hold that Saint statue for me.


So it's almost Chanukkah. Huh. Fascinating.
That will be a huge party here. (it won't)

 

[Jake1001]

I hope not too many people are offended by this, but I just had to get this off my chest, and this seemed as safe a space as any.

Channukah is Channukah (regardless of your preferred English transliteration-spelling). It is not Jewish Christmas.

As such, I get really irked by the whole "Mystery Maccabee" thing. Three reasons:

1. Channukah is NOT ABOUT PRESENTS. Might it have a notion of Channukah Gelt? Sort of, maybe, ok. But presents? No thanks.
2. Channukah is not about consumerism. Jewish festivals shouldn't be excuses to buy gifts. Yes, we buy a lulav and etrog for Sukkot. Yes, we buy new clothes to honor holidays. Yes, some people buy little gifts for children as Afikoman gifts, but none of these is a "THE RC CAR IS ON SALE" kind of thing. Reducing a halachic observance to "Let's go buy a _______" cheapens the religious nature of the holiday.
3. We shouldn't be jealous of, or emulate non-Jewish practices like gifts (and "Secret Santa"). Bad enough some people have made an equivalent of an Elf on a Shelf.

Can't we just appreciate Channukah for what it is, instead of twisting it to be what it isn't?

Rant over. Sorry for the interruption.

RR you can celebrate whatever you like, I don’t see the problem, I think.