It’s the most wonderful time of the year in the Ransdell household….Chrismukkah! Chrismukkah is the hybrid holiday we refer to in our home that combines both Christmas and Hanukkah. My marriage is an interfaith marriage; I am Jewish and my husband is not. We always knew that when we started our family, we would carry on the traditions we both grew up with, even before having children. If you ask my children, they would say they get the best of both worlds every December! As for my husband and me, we would tell you that while celebrating both holidays puts a hurting on our bank account, we wouldn’t trade it for anything!
Here are some ways we celebrate both holidays, allowing us to uphold the childhood traditions we cherish while also introducing new ones for our kids:
Hanukkah is known as the Festival of Lights and is celebrated to remember the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem. In Hebrew, the word Hanukkah means “dedication.” The timing of the celebration is directly linked to the Hebrew calendar, which means it falls on a different date in December each year. For eight nights, we light a menorah, a multi-branched candelabra, adding one candle each night and lighting them from right to left.
As a child, we always had a large dinner on the first night of the holiday, featuring traditional Hanukkah foods like latkes (potato pancakes similar to hash browns), jelly donuts, and chocolate coins known as gelt. My sister and I would eagerly sit in the living room once the candles were lit and the prayers were said, while my mom brought out two large shopping bags for us to choose a present to open for each night of Hanukkah. After opening presents, we would play a game called Dreidel, which is similar to a spinning top. Everyone takes a turn spinning the dreidel, and depending on which side is facing up when it stops, you either give or take game pieces from the central pile, which can include gelt or even real coins.
Both of my children now look forward to these same traditions when Hanukkah comes around each year. One way I do things differently, compared to the way it was done for me as a child, is that instead of keeping the presents in bags and bringing them out each night, I wrap their gifts in two different wrapping papers so they can easily identify which presents belong to whom. I then place them by our fireplace for the duration of Hanukkah.
Before meeting my husband, Christmas Eve at my house was a quiet evening spent ordering Chinese food and watching movies or playing board games. The first Christmas I spent with his family introduced me to a whole new set of traditions and memories. Adults would open presents on Christmas Eve after a dinner of appetizers and sweets, while each child was allowed to select one gift to open. Christmas morning was then dedicated entirely to the children. I quickly learned what a “Santa” present was as my nieces and nephews received one big gift from the jolly old man. After that, they went through their stockings and opened the rest of their gifts from various family members. When I had children of my own, I fully embraced the tradition of Santa presents, spending weeks searching stores for the perfect gift. I have many fond memories from when my children were little, spending Christmas Eve with the adults assembling various Santa presents that needed to be set up to be placed by the tree in the morning. As my husband’s family expanded throughout the years to include more cousins, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren, we adopted the tradition of drawing names for a Secret Santa gift exchange among the cousins and adults. Another fun tradition we have participated in is renting a cabin in Gatlinburg for Christmas, where all the members of my husband’s family would stay for the week. This was always a great time for both the children and adults, creating many fond memories.
One other way I have incorporated both holidays for my children is by jumping on the Elf on the Shelf bandwagon when my children were younger. However, I added my own twist by pairing our elf with his friend the Mensch on the Bench to celebrate Hanukkah as well! My husband and I have had a lot of fun staging the two of them in various scenarios over the years for our kids to discover each morning.
I treasure the fact that my husband and I have the opportunity to honor our favorite traditions for both Christmas and Hanukkah, while also creating new memories and establishing fresh traditions. I hope that when my children are grown, they’ll carry on these same traditions while also feeling free to add their own special touches to celebrate with their families.
