Regarding Elliot Levy’s column, ‘It’s hard to be a Jew on Christmas’ (Dec. 3, pg. 7):
As a practicing Christian, I would like to offer my thoughts to you, Mr. Levy. You are not alone in your bewilderment at what ‘flashing lights, plastic reindeer or dancing elves have to do with the birth of Christ.’ That, among other events, such as waking up at 5 a.m. to buy the latest must-have toy the morning after Thanksgiving, are things I will never understand.
Sadder though, is the fact that thousands of children who receive these toys every year do not even know that Christmas is actually a celebration of Christ’s birth. They are never taught the true meaning of Christmas because it has literally been drowned in the ‘outrageous commercialization’ that you wrote about in your column.
Ironically enough, I actually know some people who buy ‘Christmas’ gifts who aren’t even Christian. Whoa! Furthermore, what many people don’t realize is that Easter (at least in the Catholic faith) is actually just as or even more significant of a holiday than Christmas, but because it is not as commercialized one would actually have to practice her faith to know that. Wouldn’t that be amazing?
Please, do not be jealous of that, Mr. Levy. I know I am certainly not. I am actually somewhat ashamed at what has happened to Christmas. Don’t get me wrong. As a child, I loved waking up on Christmas morning to new toys. But the truth is that I have either thrown out or given away every present I ever received as a child. But I will never lose the memory of going to church with my family during the Advent season and serving at our local food shelter. And every year when I purchase a gift for a homeless child, I am reminded of the Wise Men and I smile at the true meaning of Christmas.
Be proud of your Jewish heritage and all that it means to you. Please do everything in your power to impede the commercialization of Chanukah. You will be a better man for it, and I hope neither Chanukah nor any of the other Jewish holidays ever lose their meaning.
This is an account occasionally used by the Daily Free Press editors to post archived posts from previous iterations of the site or otherwise for special circumstance publications. See authorship info on the byline at the top of the page.
