Being Jewish at Christmas Time

Being Jewish at Christmas is a lonely business. Yes, there is Hanukkah, but it is only played up to make the Jewish kids not feel badly about gifts and celebrations. I know there was a miracle of lights with oil not expected to last for 8 days, but it still has become commercialized over my lifetime. When I was young, there were no available decor items, but my mother made styrofoam figures of menorahs and rams at Sisterhood meetings. These were decorated with blue and gold bric-a-brac and sequins. There was nothing open, so your only option was to be the first people on the ski slopes Christmas Day. Denny's was open, as indicated by the fact that most of their locations did not even have locks on their doors until about 10 years ago.
In recent times, grocery stores are open part of the day for last minute stuff. As recently as four years ago, Blockbuster was closed, with Christmas as a "free" extra day; now they are open. And this year, some new movies are actually coming out on Christmas Day -- a definite sign of change. I have grown to appreciate the family sentiments of getting everyone together and the lifelong memories that are reflected in ornament collections. I adore the wonderful yard and house decorations and displays that grow more elaborate each year. I cannot resist the urge to go shopping for all the sales and special merchandise available at this time of the year.
But Christmas also makes you feel like the minority that we are (in the last election, 2% of the voters in Arizona were Jewish, the same percentage that were African-American). It also helps you realize how George Bush was able to be successful by using the church pulpits to garner votes for the last four years. For us, this year, Christmas falls on Shabbat. Sounds like going to services may be just the thing to do this year on December 25.