Jewish Christian Christmas

I went to a friend’s house for Christmas this afternoon.  I had a nice time in her cozy little apartment with her family and a few other friends.

At this point in life, I just enjoy Christmas and try to avoid all of the arguments surrounding whether or not it is a “Pagan holiday.”

I was born and raised Jewish.  But I come from a mixed marriage.  My dad, an Ashkenazi Jew from the NY metro area and my mom, a native of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.  White, anglo-saxon, Protestant.  She converted on her own volition in her 30’s.  Years later when I came along, I came from a mixed marriage, but we alway just celebrated Hanukkah, not Christmas.

As a kid, I guess I felt a little left out.  But we were happy celebrating Hanukkah, and that was enough.

As an adult, I converted to Christianity I looked forward to celebrating Christmas.  Just like everyone else.

But then, I encountered Christians who didn’t celebrate Christmas because it was a pagan holiday.  It was really the winter solstice or some pagan day of Saturnalia.  Or some invention of Emperor Constantine and the awful Catholic Church.

Others read the gospels and believe that Jesus was born in the fall of the spring, based on the accounts of shepherds watching their flocks by night.

Traditionally, it was believed that Jesus was conceived on March 25, therefore, he would have been born December 25.

I’ve heard people make all sorts of arguments against Christmas.

How ironic, that the people who most objected to Christmas weren’t Jews, but rather, Christians.

Then, I often found myself working on Christmas.   I was a caregiver.  I once was stuck on a case for 36 hours on Christmas .  Another time, I accompanied a woman and her family to the Mohonk Mountain House on Christmas.  These were the kinds of cases where the home health aides weren’t allowed to leave the patient, even if they went out with other family members.  Who wouldn’t want to go to Mohonk Mountain House?  But I didn’t feel comfortable with this family.  Who wants to spend Christmas with a family that you don’t know or like?

Another year, I spent Christmas with a patient whom I liked and got along well with.  Working on Christmas isn’t great, but at least I was with someone that I liked.

I was so lost, lonely and isolated back then.  Still living in the aftermath of my own family trauma.

Now, I’m grateful to be in a different place.

I let go of bad employers.  I let go of dogmatic, hyper-religious people.  I let go of the turbulent history between Christians and Jews, and I just enjoy the day.