Being the only kid in town without a Christmas tree is tough; however, any kid that has lived through that knows there are some benefits. Today I am here to remind you, that not having a Christmas tree is actually pretty lit.
As a young Jewish person, it can seem that in December the world is simply celebrating something different. Why are there so many adorable Christmas mugs and sweaters, but none for Hannukah. Well, don’t you worry because I am here to remind you of all the perks that not having that tree gets you.
The Perks
To begin, it is important to note how jealous all the other kids were when you said “It’s just like having 8 days of Christmas”. When they ask you if you get presents every day, it was necessary to say yes, even though in the history of Hanukkah I’m sure no kid is cute enough to get 8 straight days of presents.
The bragging continued when you got to the food. You know that holiday Easter you love? Well when you’re Jewish you get chocolate in December; and we don’t even have to search for it! Moving on to “We also get to eat lots and lots of latkes, which are basically just way better versions of hash browns”. If that wasn’t good enough, bring out the big guns - Sufganiyot. Everyone goes crazy when you explain it is just an extra fancy Jewish name for jelly filled donuts. Yea that’s right, I don’t need your stupid tree now.
Inviting your Non-Jewish friends over for Hanukkah was like your super cool second birthday party. Only the VIP’s got the invite and everyone was super interested to hear about it all after. Plus, better than loot bags you got to light candles, play Dreidel, and eat like a king.
I feel the appreciation from my peers for this holiday only grew as I got older too. As a University student there is something magical about the idea of 8 days of home cooked food and leftovers. 8 greasy nights are truly the holy grail of student life.
Overall, it can be pretty tough when you feel like all the holiday marketing, songs and celebrations is for a different audience. But when you think of our perks, hear the Hanukkah song and get that first whiff of latkes it’s all worth it. And if those don’t help… here’s a list of people who are Jewish just like you and meeee.