Happy Holidays! This week we're talking to all different people about a variety of holiday celebrations and traditions, and even about the absence of them altogether! We'd love to hear your thoughts. Let us know about your own holiday celebrations. Maybe you can identify with some of the fantastic people who have graced our pages with their stories this week.
What holiday(s) do you celebrate?
"Hanukkah and Christmas."
Why do you celebrate both?
"Because I'm Jewish and my husband is Catholic."
When you started dating, what was that transition like for you both?
"I'm really not that religious. Basically in the Jewish religion, you're either orthodox or liberal (reform), there's different sects. I'm basically just straight holidays. My husband's family wasn't real religious either, so we figured we'd just do everything. I learned about the Christmas holiday and his religion and he learned about mine. He also loves Jewish food so that really helped (Laughter)."
"Hanukkah and Christmas."
Why do you celebrate both?
"Because I'm Jewish and my husband is Catholic."
When you started dating, what was that transition like for you both?
"I'm really not that religious. Basically in the Jewish religion, you're either orthodox or liberal (reform), there's different sects. I'm basically just straight holidays. My husband's family wasn't real religious either, so we figured we'd just do everything. I learned about the Christmas holiday and his religion and he learned about mine. He also loves Jewish food so that really helped (Laughter)."
Having a child together, how have you kept the meaning of the holidays in tact?
"It wasn't bad. We do everything. She's been to a synagogue, she's been to a church. I bought her a bible, the Old Testament (and it has a little of the New Testament in it). So she learned about that. We figured she'd be exposed to everything and she can choose when she gets older what she wants to do."
Do you think she leans one way to the other?
"Not really. She hasn't really said. I think she understands now, being 14, both religions and the customs. Maybe after high school, college, who knows. At least she's been exposed and decide. You wanna just teach them the core beliefs about the bible and God."
With the difference between the Jewish and Christian faiths, where Jesus is concerned, was there ever contention between your husband and you (or your families)?
"Not really. I mean there's always a little bit. His family, I think more, because my family...we weren't really very religious. But his father was religious. So it took him getting used to it. It's never easy. You grow up believing a certain thing and then you kind of bring something else into the mix. So it's kind of a shock kind of thing. But they got accustomed to it and they're ok with it. It's hard when you mix any kind of religion, there's gonna be some kind of problems. When I was with his family, they (still) did prayers at the table and it was ok. Just like with my family, my husband was Ok with it. You just make it work."
Neither of you were offended in any way at the first family gatherings?
"No. I mean, my mom she was more into tradition. We made it a policy that nothing real religious be given as gifts for us. Just for respect. Like the cross is a Christian symbol and the star a Jewish symbol, for example. We're neutral and didn't wanna push anything on each other. We just wanna keep it to the traditions. When we got married, we had a judge and mixed a little of the Jewish religion into it and the Christian religion into it, so it worked out well. We had a neutral wedding. When two people love each other, you just don't look at that, at religion. You just work it out. I've had friends who would only date within their faith. I've had Jewish friends that would only date Jewish people cause they figured that's who they're gonna marry."
Do you think they missed out on opportunities to be happy because they narrowed their choices?
"Yes I do. I think that the way the world is now, there's so much diversity, that you have to learn different things. I learned a lot and I'm glad. A lot of times, Christian people would meet at church. Same with Jewish people. You'd go to synagogue. And you're only with that groups of people, then that's who you're gonna meet and marry. But the way the world is, more evolved, there's mixed marriages. It doesn't matter what religion (or race) you are. If you love somebody, you make it work. That's what we did
"It wasn't bad. We do everything. She's been to a synagogue, she's been to a church. I bought her a bible, the Old Testament (and it has a little of the New Testament in it). So she learned about that. We figured she'd be exposed to everything and she can choose when she gets older what she wants to do."
Do you think she leans one way to the other?
"Not really. She hasn't really said. I think she understands now, being 14, both religions and the customs. Maybe after high school, college, who knows. At least she's been exposed and decide. You wanna just teach them the core beliefs about the bible and God."
With the difference between the Jewish and Christian faiths, where Jesus is concerned, was there ever contention between your husband and you (or your families)?
"Not really. I mean there's always a little bit. His family, I think more, because my family...we weren't really very religious. But his father was religious. So it took him getting used to it. It's never easy. You grow up believing a certain thing and then you kind of bring something else into the mix. So it's kind of a shock kind of thing. But they got accustomed to it and they're ok with it. It's hard when you mix any kind of religion, there's gonna be some kind of problems. When I was with his family, they (still) did prayers at the table and it was ok. Just like with my family, my husband was Ok with it. You just make it work."
Neither of you were offended in any way at the first family gatherings?
"No. I mean, my mom she was more into tradition. We made it a policy that nothing real religious be given as gifts for us. Just for respect. Like the cross is a Christian symbol and the star a Jewish symbol, for example. We're neutral and didn't wanna push anything on each other. We just wanna keep it to the traditions. When we got married, we had a judge and mixed a little of the Jewish religion into it and the Christian religion into it, so it worked out well. We had a neutral wedding. When two people love each other, you just don't look at that, at religion. You just work it out. I've had friends who would only date within their faith. I've had Jewish friends that would only date Jewish people cause they figured that's who they're gonna marry."
Do you think they missed out on opportunities to be happy because they narrowed their choices?
"Yes I do. I think that the way the world is now, there's so much diversity, that you have to learn different things. I learned a lot and I'm glad. A lot of times, Christian people would meet at church. Same with Jewish people. You'd go to synagogue. And you're only with that groups of people, then that's who you're gonna meet and marry. But the way the world is, more evolved, there's mixed marriages. It doesn't matter what religion (or race) you are. If you love somebody, you make it work. That's what we did
So, what is the best gift you ever received?
"That's tough. A diamond heart necklace from my husband."
How about the best gift you ever gave?
"It can be anything?"
Yes.
"A blue ray player for my husband."
Why was that so exciting to give?
"Cause that's his thing. He loves movies. His hobby is movies. So he was dying to get this blue ray player. That was an awesome gift and he was really happy."
"That's tough. A diamond heart necklace from my husband."
How about the best gift you ever gave?
"It can be anything?"
Yes.
"A blue ray player for my husband."
Why was that so exciting to give?
"Cause that's his thing. He loves movies. His hobby is movies. So he was dying to get this blue ray player. That was an awesome gift and he was really happy."
