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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP--

Here's a light suggestion--

Do the small tree for SD.  As you celebrate Hannukah,  have little gifts for SD to give to her younger step-siblings for each of the 8 days---having her hide them under the tree each night.  Instead of "Elf on a Shelf", you'll have "Toy from a Goy".   Fun bonding for big step-sis and little ones---if they, like most little ones, love the attention from the oldest.

[/quote]

Except for the multi-day activity, this sounds like St. Nicholas Day (December).  Christmas has changed a lot in the past 75 years.  Christmas Eve and the days leading up to Christmas (Advent) were more solemn and anticipatory.  Trees were not put up until Christmas Eve and the big gift day was January 6 to celebrate the coming of the 3 Kings (epiphany).  And trees stayed up until February 2nd (Candlemas) -- the day Jesus was presented in the temple.  Some cultures and families still adhere to this.  My point is the holiday has evolved as has the meaning of the tree (it was pagan, then adopted by Germanic Christains, then adopted by Christians in other parts of Europe and the world).  Today marketing and shoppers are driving the secularization of the tree and the menorah, and furthering the evolution of their meanings.

When you talk to DH, you might want to to discuss his thoughts about Easter.  Plenty of adopted pagan symbolism there too (eggs, bunnies).[/quote]

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