Hanukkah and Christmas

Christmas. Hanukkah. Which takes precedence? Can you do both? Can you not do both? The December dilemma is one of the biggest issues many intermarried families face. Learn how to conquer the conflict with our wide range of articles, resources and links.

December Holidays Documents

• Guide to Hanukkah for Interfaith Families
• The Historical Roots of Hanukkah
• When Is Hanukkah, and How Should I Spell It?
• Symbols and Observances of Hanukkah
  • Hanukkah Menorah
  • Dreidel
• Traditional Foods of Hanukkah
• Christmas, Hanukkah and the Interfaith Family: Some Alternatives
• Handling the December Holidays: Ten Tips from InterfaithFamily.com 
• The December Dilemma: Tips to Survive the Holiday Season - from Project Welcome, the Union for Reform Judaism
• Report: What We Learned From the 2008 December Holidays Survey (PDF) (Also available in Word format)

Helpful December Holiday Articles

December Holidays Recipes

• Exotic Latke Recipes for Celebrating All Eight Days of Hanukkah by Jayne Cohen
• For Jewish Cookbook Author, Chanukah's about the Art of Frying by Linda Morel
• Family Hanukkah Celebrations by Jayne Cohen

Jewish Celebrities and Christmas

• The Jews Who Wrote Christmas Songs by Nate Bloom
• My Top Five Christmas Movies With Major Jewish Connections by Nate Bloom

Hanukkah Blessings

• Blessings on the Menorah

December Holidays Article Archive

• The December Holidays

December Holidays Discussion Board

• December Holidays 

Additional Resources on the December Holidays

Websites

Visit our partner MyJewishLearning.com for more information on Christmas and Hanukkah:

• Taking the Christmas out of Hanukkah
• Jews and Christmas
• The Lesson of Hanukkah
• The December Dilemma
   

Books

• Friedland, Ronnie and Case, Edmund, ed. The Guide to Jewish Interfaith Family Life: An InterfaithFamily.com Handbook. Jewish Lights, 2001. Read a review.
• Strassfeld, Michael. The Jewish Holidays: A Guide and Commentary. New York: HarperCollins, 1985. In addition to in-depth discussion of each holiday, this book includes commentaries, ideas for family holiday involvement, and suggestions for new traditions.
• Wolfson, Dr. Ron. The Art of Jewish Living. Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs, 1990. Written by a well-known family educator, this series of books includes volumes on Shabbat, Hanukkah and Passover. Each includes recipes, crafts and family activities to enhance observance.
• Cox, Harvey. Common Prayers: Faith, Family, and a Christian's Journey Through the Jewish Year. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Read our review.
   

If you know of other December holiday resources--or if you'd like to see additional resources on a particular aspect of the December holidays--please email us at network@interfaithfamily.com and let us know what you'd like us to provide.