Brooklyn Papers editor-in-chief, GERSH KUNTZMAN, has devised the perfect Hanukah or Christmas gift. OR SHOULD I SAY CHRISMUKKAH GIFT. THIS BOOK IS SURE TO TICKLE MANY A NEW YORKER.
CHRISMUKKAH: THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO THE WORLD’S MOST BELOVED HOLIDAY by Gersh Kuntzman It’s a must-give gift, must-have, especialy around here where inter-marriage is rampant. Read about what happened when Gersh did a reading at the Park Slope YMCA:
As tout le monde
knows, the cover of my book, “Chrismukkah: The Official Guide to the
World’s Most-Beloved Holiday,” features a statuette of Santa Claus
wearing a belt adorned with a gold Jewish star and hair featuring
Hasidic-style side curls (in white, to match his beard, of course).
As far as I’m
concerned, you can judge this book by its cover. To me, that
Jewish-leaning Santa is a cute icon that perfectly captures the spirit
of Chrismukkah.But to some Park Slopers, it’s an offensive, horrifying image that must be censored!
The trouble
started last week, when organizers of the Writers on the Rooftop series
at the Prospect Park YMCA created a large poster to advertise my
reading on Dec. 4.
Find out the rest of the story here. Here’s the book’s blurb from Amazon, where you can order a copy. Or order it from our local indie booksellers, Community Books (she probably has it in stock) or Park Slope Books.
It’s Chrismukkah time of year again — yet all across America, Jews,
Christians and even famous Chrismukkan Sean Penn can’t figure out how
to celebrate this blessed day (or couple of days, maybe). Thank
goodness we have Chrismukkan scholar Gersh Kuntzman to share the
historical origins and rituals associated with this mixed-faith
hybrid holiday. Whether discussing traditional Chrismukkah rites such
as "the Measuring of the Children," "the Refusal of the Gift," or "the
Burning of the Sacred Herbaceous Green Plant," offering recipes for
such Chrismukkah delicacies as Ham Latkes and Savory Oyster
Hammentaschen, or uncovering the long-lost Charles Dickens novella A Chrismukkah Carol, Kuntzman’s wildly entertaining Chrismukkah treasury is the perfect remedy from those other holidays.
I’m anything but speechless, should’ve put a winky in. Just thought that since the secularization of Christmas seems to well set in stone, I can actually relate to it better.
A Happy but belated Diwali to you.
The possibility exists that Christians co-opted some of the traditions around Saturnalia, but the idea that Christmas evolved from Saturnalia is not consistent with historical fact. If anything, Christians took the holiday as a show if its emerging dominance. There is no doubt that the actual date of the birth of Christ is uncertain, but the fact remains that the holiday Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ. One does not need to be “evangelical” to believe this by the way.
chandru, perhaps you are speechless, but those of us who place actual meaning on these holidays and the miracles they celebrate should not be. Just because these holidays don’t have any meaning for YOU does not mean that the rest of us should sit still while they get co-opted by people who own malls and electronic stores. I’m all for being inclusive. There is plenty of fun to be had by all this season. Go to a “Holiday Party.” Wish your friends and loved ones “Happy Holidays!” Celebrate Festivus, Kwanza, or whatever. I, and probably Jesus, don’t care if you show up to the party of not, but if its ok with you, can the rest of us acknowledge and celebrate what these holidays actually represent? (Post Roman era anyway!)
Of course these are just my opinions. When I express them it seems redundant to state this, but apparently I need to. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Winter Season to you all!
The precisely modulated comment above, which I totally agree with, leaves litte to say…but of course, I must add, in reference to Jim’s comment: it’s not only your decision. Be offended if you want to be, but for those of us who are secular, agnostic, atheistic or just plain not gung-ho about religion, anything that draws more people into this national holiday season is to be celebrated. Way to go, Kuntzman!
Christmas isn’t really about the birth of Jesus. The holiday wasn’t created to celebrate that event; it descends from the Roman festival of Saturnalia. Christians basically co-opted a tradition, so excuse me if I don’t cry because their tradition is, in turn, being co-opted. And I don’t think Jesus is too broken up about it either – he knows he wasn’t born in December.
The “true meaning of Christmas” is in fact a specific set of cultural behaviors attached to a somewhat less-specific ritualized time of year. And, as time goes on, cultural behaviors change… thus the “true meaning of Christmas” is revealed as another empty signifier, little more than an indicator of moral relativism. And as much as I hate consumerism, I think I hate evangelism more, so the shift in significance is alright by me.
Strange, considering I’m Jewish. I celebrate Hanukkah, but I think Christmas – in its new, non-denominational incarnation – is by far the better holiday. It invokes a mystique Hanukkah could never achieve, an inadequacy summed up in its symbology – what the fuck is a dreidel anyway? But maybe the problem isn’t with the symbols, but what status – relative to Christmas icons like Santa and candy canes – they are taking on. Plus, red-and-green kicks blue-and-white’s ass in the contest for best colors.
There is no equivalency, beyond a wintery setting, between Christmas and Hanukkah. That being said, both form an integral part of my holiday season. Christmas allows me the periodic experience of holiday “cheer,” while Hanukkah cements my sense of irony and cynicism. I’m not a self-hating Jew, but I am a tradition-hating modern. Jesus can cry me a river if he’s sour because I didn’t show up to his birthday party.
It must be sad for Christians that Christmas has been turned into a “Winter Festival” symbolizing nothing more than an opportunity to max out on credit cards and stuff our faces with sweets and alcohol. I imagine that Christ would be saddened that a holiday created to celebrate his birth has been bastardized such.
As a Jew, I’m offended that other Jews feel that a Jewish holiday that celebrates the miracle of God must be mixed with Christmas to make it more palatable for our Christian friends (and perhaps our self-hating Jew selves).