If you’re not familiar, Chrismukkah is the super-sized holiday dreamed up by Seth Cohen (played by Adam Brody) in The O.C.
Growing up with a Jewish Mother and a self-proclaimed Atheist, yet Christmas-loving, father, we celebrated both Hanukkah and Christmas in our own way. However, it wasn’t the norm. My peers at Jewish day school almost exclusively celebrated Hanukkah, while my friends from soccer, skiing, dance, etc. primarily celebrated Christmas.
So, as a tween, watching dreamy Seth Cohen blend his favorite parts of each holiday to establish a new tradition, I felt seen. Thinking back on it now as I gear up for my first Chrismukkah with a child, two things seem very clear to me. 1. Seth Cohen aka Adam Brody is still pretty dreamy, and 2. Bringing people together makes things better.
This year, with the first night of Hanukkah falling on Christmas, there is no better time to celebrate Chrismukkah in all its glory. Personally, I cannot wait to light the menorah with my son before sitting down to Christmas dinner with my blended family. Adam, you’re of course, invited!
In the spirit of the festive season and bringing people together, we’ve rounded up some of the RHC’s team favorite traditions.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season, whatever and however you celebrate!
Name: Ilana Maurer Kedem
Tradition: My family celebrates Hanukkah and we have a number of traditions I look forward to every year beyond lighting the menorah each night. On the first night, my immediate family and I go to a local Jewish deli to get pastrami and corned beef sandwiches on rye bread. With my extended family, we do a secret gift exchange where we each pick a name out of a hat and get a gift for that person. Typically on the last night of Hanukkah, we’ll get together to exchange the gifts and have foods that are fried in oil, to represent the oil that lasted for eight nights, such as latkes with applesauce and sufganiyot.
Name: Malu Moura
Tradition: I was raised in a Catholic household, with Brazilian parents, and we’ve always celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve. On the 24th, our entire family gets together for dinner (which kind of looks like a traditional Thanksgiving dinner in the US). Sometimes it’s potluck style; other times, one family member hosts and cooks. We start the evening with drinks and appetizers on the patio (it’s summer in Brazil this time of year), exchange gifts before dinner, and always sit down to eat at midnight. On the dot. I don’t always get to spend Christmas in Brazil, so when I do, I take advantage of all the yummy foods and fresh juices.
Name: Zoe Allen
Tradition: As someone with a Jewish mom and a Christian dad, I grew up celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah – so this year, I’m very excited that both are coinciding! On Christmas Eve, we’ll always sit down for an elaborate meal, and on one of the nights of Hanukkah, we’ll spend the evening pan frying latkes with our family recipe. Now that I live thousands of miles away from my family, I gather friends every year on one of the eight nights of Hanukkah to make latkes with them and share this tradition.
Name: Betsy Hart
Tradition: I grew up celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas, and while my family’s celebrations of the two holidays often didn’t overlap, we certainly had special traditions for both. My family tends to make a competition out of anything and everything, so each night of Hanukkah, we would all pick which candle on the menorah we thought would burn out first and which would last the longest. For Christmas, my parents always made a treasure hunt out of the very last present that my brothers and I would open. The last present left under the tree was our first clue to find the gift, and we ran around the house looking for clues that would lead us to our final present. Sometimes it was something for us to share and sometimes it was something individual and unique to each of us. No matter what, though, it was something for us to do together as siblings and it was always my favorite part of Christmas morning while I was growing up.
Name: Katie Klaff
Tradition: Growing up Jewish, I actually grew up celebrating both holidays. Alongside our Hanukkah traditions, my mom and I also embraced the festive spirit of Christmas. For Hanukkah, my mom would always make the most delicious homemade latkes, which we personally love to top with applesauce or sour cream. But we’ve also loved the festive spirit of Christmas and the holiday season, and grew up decorating a Christmas tree and leaving out cookies and milk for Santa. It truly was the best of both worlds. Since Hanukkah and Christmas align this year, I’m excited for yet another year to celebrate both with family and friends!
