Why this Jew likes the Christmas Season
I’ve never celebrated Christmas. And yet, I’ve come to increasingly appreciate and look forward to the Christmas season.
For a large percentage of Americans, it is one of the two most important holidays (Easter being the other) and it gives me joy to see Christians celebrating.
While the holiday has no religious significance for me, when visiting a bank or an office building lobby with a decorated Christmas tree, or seeing neighborhood homes adorned with Christmas lights, it puts us in a festive mood.
Hanukkah and Christmas remind us we are to celebrate, even if the public mood is not celebratory. In fact, precisely because these last two years have been difficult, the light of these holidays is all the more needed.
In recent decades there’s been a move to minimize public religious expression. Would our country be better off if these weeks were no different than any other? I think not.
In addition to any religious observance, the Christmas holiday season also brings out the generosity in many and leads to office parties and gatherings with family and friends. This too is something to celebrate.
— Rabbi David Woznica
Rabbi David Woznica can be reached via email here.