10 Ways to Create Jewish Inspired Holidays for Interfaith Couples
(especially for folks who scroll home decor content)
Who doesn’t love a magical, snowy christmas village? Life size nutcrackers repainted pink? Christmas trees, popcorn garlands, and holiday cookies? There are heaps of very cute holiday decorating tips circulating this month, but most of what I see is heavily focused on Christmas! I get it, Christmas is glitzy. Also 63% of folks living in the United States identify as being Christian*, and 10 years ago, that number was 75%. Christmas has also been highly corporatized & materialized on a massive scale — which has all sorts of downsides that I’m not going to dive into here. But I will admit, I am one of those folks who love Christmas specifically because I love the hype! Glitter, gifts, fake frosted pines, twinkle lights, festive drinks, and holiday rom coms — I love it all. I’ve even got the holiday hits radio station playing all month long. But I’m also deeply rooted in Jewish spirituality, celebrate Chanukkah and other Jewish holidays, and plan on continuing to incorporate my ancestral spirituality into my life moving forward. But it can feel challenging for many people, myself included, to help their own spiritual traditions shine amidst the overshadowing Spirit of Christmas. I have many friends who tell me they know how to celebrate Christmas, but want to know how to celebrate Chanukkah — so here are a couple ideas for you and some ideas about how to get into the mood.
- Make Latkes! Potato Pancakes are a chanukkah staple. They are loved by all people, all year round, and are basically hashbrowns. There are dozens of recipes to try out, but in their simplest form, they are oily, crispy, fried potato patties. To learn more about latkes & find a simple recipe, click here. You truly can’t go wrong. Add some sour cream & applesauce for a simple & traditional Chanukkah dinner (or breakfast, lunch,or snack).
- Prepare other Festive Holiday Foods. Chanukkah is all about OIL and how the oil of the menorah was expected to last a single day and lasted 8 whole days! So in addition to latkes, fried doughnuts — called Sufganyot — are another popular treat specifically eaten on Chanukkah. I love Lion’s Bread for all baked goods, but especially for her great collection of recipes & videos making Jewish inspired breads. Check out her Sufganyot, Lemon Ricotta Fritters, Babka, or Rugelach! If you’re feeling really adventurous (or you don’t eat sugar or wheat — there are plentiful Jewish dishes that will likely fit whatever diet you follow). You can check out Jake Cohen’s new cookbook Jew-ish, any of Leah Koenig’s cookbooks, or Yotam Ottolenghi’s Jerusalem Cookbook for more recipes.
- Light the Menorah. The Menorah is the most symbolic and definitely most important ritual element of Chanukkah. I recently heard a Rabbi say that the main requirement for Chanukkah, in its simplest celebration, is to light the menorah at least once. If you’ve gone through the effort of buying a box of candles and putting a menorah on the table, you may as well light them every night! I personally love lighting the menorah. There are countless interpretations for the why & how. Because I like to keep things simple, I’d say that the importance of chanukkah is to recognize the miracles in our lives. We can see the light of the candles as a reflection of the light within ourselves. We light the candles to tend the inner flames that keep us motivated to live and be the best people we can be. It is a time to slow down and check in with ourselves and our families. Lighting the menorah offers an opportunity to sit quietly, meditate, sing, journal, share gratitude, or dream into the future. If you’d like to learn more about the spiritual qualities of this Jewish month of Kislev, I recommend checking out this Instagram post from Gold Herring (and really any of their content), Living Jewishly Chanukkah Guide, or the Naomi Azriel Lifestyle Design Chanukkah Manual.
- Sing (or listen to) Chanukkah Songs! There are actually a lot of songs to sing. If you are a family that carols, perhaps consider adding a Chanukkah song to your repertoire! And if you don’t sing, perhaps think about adding some Jewish songs to your holiday playlists. Here’s a list of some popular songs this year and another list of songs great to sing at home with families and kids.
- Play Dreidel or other Chanukkah games. A dreidel, also called a sevivon, is a small spinning top! There is a simple way to play and you can find instructions here. You can find a dreidel in many places including Amazon, Target, and maybe even your local grocery or toy store! Other fun (and pretty silly) games include: Kosherland (my sister got this for me when I was in college… still fun) and The Jewish Foods Matching Game, or any of these suggestions from Good Housekeeping.
- Make Chanukkah Crafts. You can definitely make your own menorah — I’ve done this twice in my twenties in a pinch when realizing I didn’t have a menorah on the first night of chanukkah. One year I used a hot glue gun, a piece of driftwood, and hardware nuts. Another year I used a spatula and tiny little clay cups from a thriftstore (I’m sorry I don’t have a picture). You can also easily drill holes into any piece of wood. On top of that, I found this pretty elegant list of DIY crafts and I’m sure there are many more if you start perusing pinterest.
- Decorate! Don’t hold back! Put those crafts to good use. I’m a big fan of mixing traditions. I like chanukkah inspired ornaments on the tree and incorporating my menorah into a Christmas Village tablescape. Whatever your holiday decor style is, chances are you’re going to put some sort of holiday decorations in your home for at least a few days. You can also try focusing your decor around your menorah — or creating some sort of altar for the miracles you are grateful for this year.
- Host a Holiday Party. I find that sharing the holidays with people I love (or am getting to know) is a great way to get myself in the spirit. I also find that when I host an event, I am more likely to brush up on my knowledge & make sure to share an authentic experience with those invited. This is a great opportunity to light the menorah together, say the blessings, sings songs, play games, listen to music, or do it all. Incorporate elements from all the traditions you keep (or want to try out) and perhaps even invite friends to bring something from their own holiday traditions to share.
- Cozy Up with a Chanukkah Movie. I think this one explains itself. But what chanukkah movies even exist? Well, there aren’t many but here’s another short list.
- Check out some Jewish holiday content for more inspo!
Instagram Accounts with Jewish Content:
@Naomiazriel @Hey.Alma @Gold.Herring @living.jewishly @wildernesstorah @lions.bread @jakecohen @yourjewishlife
@betweencarpools @homeoverhouse @atthewellproject
