This article was written by Staff Writer Sidney Brant.

“Merry Christmas!” 

“Happy Hanukkah,” my mother would say in response. 

I was always embarrassed when she did this, made an innocent grocery store checkout employee uncomfortable for no apparent reason. Eventually, I understood why she did it: “Merry Christmas” made me uncomfortable, so even though it was a bit annoying or needlessly confrontational, it gave the well wisher the same feeling of disquietude. 

Christmas may be almost entirely cultural at this point, but I’ve never felt as if I am a part of the culture, making the permeation of Christmas into every corner of life during the winter months exceedingly palpable. Writing Christmas cards for a grade, going on field trips to sing about baby Jesus at the retirement home, assignments where I’m supposed to discuss my own Christmas traditions; instances like these left me stumped. Is the best thing to do just to play along, make something up? Not only is it alienating for people who have no connection to Christmas, but it seems dismissive of the true meaning of the holiday. 

Christmas has transcended its status as a holiday. It has become a season, a lifestyle, a hobby. It is almost completely unique in its grandiosity; even Easter, which is certainly second on the list of godless holidays, doesn’t infiltrate American culture to the same extent. The hyper commercialization of Christmas directly contradicts exactly why Christianity was developed in the first place. “Unrealistic Christmas list” slideshows on tiktok, buying massive amounts of disposable decorations and useless gifts that contribute to the 25% increase in waste between thanksgiving and New Years have become telling signs that Christmas is approaching. 

These common instances of overconsumption during the Christmas season demonstrate how far removed Christmas has become from Christianity itself. In fact, the Bible overtly warns against consumerism: “life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12:15). Modern Christmas traditions combine the sin of overconsumption, greed, and gluttony, with a holiday about the birth of Christianity’s lord and savior. This seems utterly blasphemous and a complete contradiction. This overt contradiction is unsurprising, as most Christmas traditions are not even rooted in Christianity but the pagan solstice, and have little historical significance or connection to Christianity.                

The current solution to the omnipresent corporate Christmas spirit is inclusivity. Saying “happy holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”; adding a small Chanukah shelf amidst the red and green decor section. Essentially, the inclusivity is just an attempt to commercialize Chanukah, a holiday so minor that it does not appear in the Torah. People who celebrate still attend school and work as usual, and it is uncommon to even visit family for the 8 day celebration. 

Chanukah is not “the holidays”, yet most Americans cannot wrap their heads around the notion that December is just like every other month for many people. “The holidays” for Jews occur in early fall, though people who are desperate to include Jews during Christmas are oblivious to this.

Inclusivity is not always necessary, especially when it means absorbing sacred traditions into the Christmas industrial complex and watering them down. Religion by nature is exclusive, so there is no need to include Jews during Christmas; they have their own traditions. Instead of inclusivity, there should be an air of awareness around significant Jewish dates, so students don’t find themselves taking an important test on Yom Kippur, and no one has to choose between traveling for work or observing shabbat. 

Cultures and religions are bound to mix and intertwine, but there is a line between an organic meshing of tradition and forced assimilation. Additionally, the indisputable fact that the inclusion of Chanukah with “the holidays” is almost entirely for profit removes any reverence or true significance from it, and essentially confines it to the box of  “Jewish Christmas.”