This year jews around the world (mostly in America) will experience something that only will happen once in our life, thanksgiving will be at the same time as Chanukkah. For me this won't change anything, I will still light my chanukkah candles and give my gifts away and then move on with my life enjoying the atmosphere of friends and family getting together just to relax.
One thing that has struck me is how people seem to be obsessed with this coincidence and they have therefore invented a new name for it: Thanksgivukkah. It seems like they've invented a new holiday and are trying to combine these two holidays into one and make the traditions work together but personally I really don't believe they go together if you don't realise what it is that we're actually celebrating and combine them in a valuable way.
For me Chanukkah is the holiday when kids get their gifts and compete with each other who got the best gift, even if this is not the purpose of the holiday it is how kids see it. Thanksgiving is the complete opposite. Even though I've never properly celebrated Thanksgiving I have the understanding that it is a holiday where families get together and tell each other what they're thankful for. Yes, the holiday is based around a huge meal which means that there are people in the world that won't be able to be thankful for the same things but it is still a chance to stop and think about what really matters to you.
But how is it going to work this year then? I am picturing a jewish family sitting in their house somewhere in America, with their turkey on the table, chanukkiah in the window and kids running around. Straight after the meal the children open their Chanukkah gifts and one of the kids gets a disappointed smile on his face, this year he didn't get the new iPhone that he really wanted. It takes away the purpose of the holiday.
We celebrate Thanksgiving to be thankful for what we have but then we are also celebrating the holiday that jewish kids see as their Christmas.
I think it is important to actually think about why these two holidays can be celebrated together and how we can find a meaning to it . My idea is to celebrate them separately but try to remember the values of the different holidays. So this year, celebrate Thanksgiving, be thankful for what you have and the people around you but don't forget that thought when you move on to open your presents afterwards. Remember that there is more to life than the things you own, it's about the values you have. Be thankful for the Maccabees fighting for your right to be Jewish and have these traditions that has been with us for generations because if you end up forgetting this then there's no point in celebrating Thanksgiving at all. Be thankful for even the smallest thing in life because the same way as just a tiny jug of oil could last for a long time, the smallest things in life are the things that you will take with you and will give you something to be thankful for.
One thing that has struck me is how people seem to be obsessed with this coincidence and they have therefore invented a new name for it: Thanksgivukkah. It seems like they've invented a new holiday and are trying to combine these two holidays into one and make the traditions work together but personally I really don't believe they go together if you don't realise what it is that we're actually celebrating and combine them in a valuable way.
For me Chanukkah is the holiday when kids get their gifts and compete with each other who got the best gift, even if this is not the purpose of the holiday it is how kids see it. Thanksgiving is the complete opposite. Even though I've never properly celebrated Thanksgiving I have the understanding that it is a holiday where families get together and tell each other what they're thankful for. Yes, the holiday is based around a huge meal which means that there are people in the world that won't be able to be thankful for the same things but it is still a chance to stop and think about what really matters to you.
But how is it going to work this year then? I am picturing a jewish family sitting in their house somewhere in America, with their turkey on the table, chanukkiah in the window and kids running around. Straight after the meal the children open their Chanukkah gifts and one of the kids gets a disappointed smile on his face, this year he didn't get the new iPhone that he really wanted. It takes away the purpose of the holiday.
We celebrate Thanksgiving to be thankful for what we have but then we are also celebrating the holiday that jewish kids see as their Christmas.
I think it is important to actually think about why these two holidays can be celebrated together and how we can find a meaning to it . My idea is to celebrate them separately but try to remember the values of the different holidays. So this year, celebrate Thanksgiving, be thankful for what you have and the people around you but don't forget that thought when you move on to open your presents afterwards. Remember that there is more to life than the things you own, it's about the values you have. Be thankful for the Maccabees fighting for your right to be Jewish and have these traditions that has been with us for generations because if you end up forgetting this then there's no point in celebrating Thanksgiving at all. Be thankful for even the smallest thing in life because the same way as just a tiny jug of oil could last for a long time, the smallest things in life are the things that you will take with you and will give you something to be thankful for.
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