Reply to Jews with Christmas/Holiday trees

Forum Index » Religion

Reply to "Jews with Christmas/Holiday trees"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am Jewish and grew up in what was then the atheist USSR. Everyone put up a tree for New Year's and celebration of all religious holidays, whether Jewish or Christian or whatever, including Christmas, was discouraged.

I still associate decorating a tree with celebrating the new year. After we had kids with my Asian non-Christian husband, we started putting up a tree, festively decorated but not in red/green/white Christmas colors. We also light the menorah.

To those who feel weird that I'm coopting a Christian holiday, (a) the holiday is imposed on me, and this is the best way for me to deal with hit, rather than declaring war on Christmas, having it be removed from the list of federal holidays because I'm not supposed to celebrate it, and so on, and (b) because this has become our family tradition during the 70-some years in which the USSR existed.

To all the Jews with holiday trees, enjoy your version of this tradition, and don't worry about the naysayers.[b] Having pine in the house makes the whole place smell wonderful and lights up the darkest days of the year. :)[/b][/quote]

If I want the aroma of pine in my house, I just buy a nice West Coast India Pale Ale ;)   Alternatively you could put pine branches around.  And doesn't the smell of pine work in other seasons?

Its also great to have good lighting. Don't need a tree for that.

I appreciate that because of the actions of the Communist Party of the USSR you associate a tree with New Years, not Christmas.  I mean I can imagine a world where the dictator of some othe country banned Christmas AND New Years, but allowed trees on the vernal equinox, and Jews who came to the USA from that country would think of them as religiously neutral vernal equinox trees.  Doesn't change that in the USA they are Christmas trees, and non assimilated American Jews as a general rule do NOT keep them.  But that you intermarried may be a sign that you did not join the community of non assimilated American Jews.  Again, that may be the best for you.  I am not nay saying, but inviting people to TRY a Jewish lifestyle - one filled with OUR holidays (as well as those American holidays we have embraced, like Thanksgiving) I think most people who celebrate all those holidays do not find a pressing need for another in between Hanukkah and Tu B'shvat.  [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics