It’s Chrismukkah! Celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah on the Same Date: NPR

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

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

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

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

A holiday with European history

The celebration of both Jewish and Christian festivities is popularly known as Chrismukkah. In 2024, Hanukkah begins at sunset on Christmas Day, which happens quite rarely.

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

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

In the United States, Chrismukkah has gained pop cultural significance over the past few decades after being the focus of a December 2003 episode of the television series 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. O.C continued to have annual Chrismukkah offerings.

An Oakland Chrismukkah

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

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

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

“There were crucifixes all over my house – thanks to my Brazilian dad!” she said.

But she grew up in New York City and celebrated both the birth of Jesus and the festival of lights.

“I loved going to Hanukkah parties,” Pires said. “My friend’s mom 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 little 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 wanted to carol!” she said.

Navigating the day

Today, carols are still very much a 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 said, the consummated Chrismukkah celebrations can occasionally get confusing—especially in a year like this, when there’s no gap between holidays.

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

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

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