I have a dilemma. Next week, my company is hosting a ”kids” holiday party, fit with a live Santa and all things holiday-related. But there is a problem. I hate the holiday season. I’ve always hated the holiday season.  You can’t get any of your normal activities done with relative ease, and the mus-aack is way to cheery for me. I’m don’t even celebrate Christmas for crying out loud! Bah Humbug.
There are plenty of secular Jews out there who decorate a tree and pretend that Christmas is their holiday too. Not this one. Call me Scrooge, but I don’t want my son celebrating Christmas. I don’t want silly photos of him on Santa’s lap – they’ll just end up at the bottom of our junk drawer. I don’t want him to leave cookies out for Santa on Christmas eve – I’ll just end up eating them. I don’t want him opening presents on Christmas Day – he’ll get plenty of stuff for Hannukah.Â
So this is my plan of attack: I’m going to avoid clueing him into Christmas at all costs until he’s old enough to figure it out himself. This means: no photos, no holiday outfits, no cheesy songs. No Christmas.
I may sound like Mrs. Grinch, but I think this approach is better than me having to tell him in 10 years that Santa doesn’t really exist. Bah Humbug.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Why is it wrong for you to resist something that isn’t part of your beliefs? If you choose to show him the part of the season that you enjoy and avoid the commercial/religious parts that irritate you I see no problem. And I bet when your son is old enough to understand what you’ve done he’ll respect you the more for it.
Bah humbug is right! Never knew you to be so grouchy!
I’ve been in two different round tables in the last two weeks about the December Dilemma. What are Jews to do with all this Christmas stuff going on? Granted, both conversations were with primarly interfaith couples or fellow Jews By Choice–so we all have non-Jews in the family.
I think there is nothing wrong with say Bah Humbug. Me? I’m giving my team IOUs for homemade challah and I’m writing the IOUs on New Year’s Eve cards.
As for what December will look like when I have kids of my own? Hanukah at home with acknowledgement of their grandparents’ Christmas celebrations.
I think that is a great approach!