The fun — and confusion — of celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah on the same date

Lillian Weiss-Pires, 8, said she loves Christmas because it feels cozy. She enjoys decorating the tree and opening gifts.

“I like to imagine like Santa coming in and dropping down the presents,” she said.

The third grader, who lives with her two moms in Oakland, Calif., also loves Hanukkah.

“ Hanukkah is where you can like really gather up with friends and family,” she said. “Also, you get to eat a lot more, and I love eating!”

A holiday with European history

The celebration of both Jewish and Christian festivities is popularly known as Chrismukkah. In 2024, Hanukkah begins at sundown on Christmas day, which happens fairly infrequently.

Chrismukkah has its roots in the 19th century — when German Jews, some of whom were becoming increasingly assimilated into mainstream German Christian culture — adopted Christmas traditions in a secular way. The celebration was originally called Weihnukkah (“Weihnachten” means “Christmas” in German.)

“On the one hand, the assimilation was a sign of social acceptance and economic and political integration,” wrote journalist James Wald in a 2016 article about the holiday for The Times of Israel. “On the other hand, it led to a decline in the Jewish population.”

In the U.S., Chrismukkah has gained pop culture significance over the past couple of decades after being the focus of a December 2003 episode of the TV series The O.C. One of the show’s main characters, Seth Cohen, observed the holiday as a way to celebrate his combined Jewish and Protestant heritage. The O.C. went on to have annual Chrismukkah specials.

An Oakland Chrismukkah

With Christmas and Hanukkah happening all at once this year, holiday baking in the Weiss-Pires household is perhaps a little more chaotic than usual. Christmas-y gingerbread sticks to the countertop, and the rugelach — a sweet Jewish holiday treat — accidentally goes into the oven without the cinnamon sugar topping.

“ Usually you put it at the very beginning, but we can do this now while it’s sizzling a little bit,” said Lynda Pires, one of Lillian’s moms, as she sprinkles cinnamon sugar on the hot rugelach and then pops the delicacies back in the oven to finish baking.

Blended holiday traditions run deep in this family. Pires said she was raised Catholic.

“There were crucifixes everywhere in my house — thank you to my Brazilian father!” she said.

But she grew up in New York City celebrating both the Birth of Jesus and the Festival of Lights.

“I loved going to Hanukkah parties,” said Pires. “My friend’s mother made the best chocolate cake.”

Lillian’s other parent, Bessie Weiss, is Jewish. She said she has always celebrated Hanukkah.   

“ We would light the candles every night, and some years there would be small gifts,” she said of how her family typically celebrated the holiday when she was growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area.

But she said she’s also learned to embrace Christmas over the years.

“All the Jews in my parents’ neighborhood would go Christmas caroling!” she said. 

Navigating the day

Today, Christmas songs are still very much part of this family’s holiday traditions, from “Jingle Bells” to “Last Christmas.” (Lillian likes the Ariana Grande version best; her moms prefer George Michael.) And they also enjoy singing Hanukkah songs, like “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel.”

That being said, the full-on Chrismukkah celebrations can occasionally get confusing — especially in a year like this one when there’s no gap between the holidays.

“Whenever I want to wear  something that’s holiday-themed, I usually pick what’s the closest holiday,” said Lillian of how she’s managed her wardrobe during previous holiday seasons. “But I’m not sure if I should do Christmas or Hanukkah-themed now.”

Her moms tell her Christmas and Hanukkah falling on the same day makes it easier to freely mix and match.

“OK, so, blue shiny pants decorated with the symbol of Hanukkah,” said Lillian, dreaming up the ultimate Holiday 2024 outfit. “And a Christmas sweater.”