Chanukah and Christmas share Dec. 25: How one Spokane family celebrates both
News Story by Kali Nelson | FaVS News
As Chanukah and Christmas coincide on Dec. 25 this year, interfaith families like Spokane’s Neal and Liz Schindler navigate a deeper layer of holiday planning.
The overlap of these winter holidays occurs roughly four times each century due to differences between the Hebrew lunar and Gregorian solar calendars. The last time the two holidays fell on the same day was in 2005, and the next alignment won’t happen until 2027.
According to a 2020 Pew Research Center study, 42% of married Jews have a non-Jewish spouse. For Jews who married since 2010, that number rises to 61%, reflecting a growing trend in interfaith marriages.
The Schindlers, who married in 2013, blend Jewish and Christian traditions — Neal Schindler was raised Jewish while Liz Schindler grew up in a Christian household with Quaker roots.
As the calendar nears Christmas, people often draw comparisons to Chanukah, which is not entirely accurate, Neal Schindler said. Religiously, it is a minor holiday in Judaism.
Minor holidays are those that are not mandated by the Torah according to My Jewish Learning. Examples of major holidays include Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover and Shavuot.
Chanukah commemorates a revolt by Maccabees and others to take the Temple of Jerusalem from Syrian Greeks who had desecrated the Temple, abolished Judaism and put up altars to Greek gods according to reformjudaism.org.
“It’s worth noting that the idea of having a Christmas tree as a Jewish family is not unheard of,” Liz Schindler said.
The Schindlers display both a Christmas tree and menorah in their home. When asked if their son might struggle with a dual-faith upbringing, Neal Schindler dismisses the concern.
“People grow up without a defined faith all the time,” he says. “We focus on teaching values.”
A religious cornucopia
“Outside of the interfaith bubble it’s easy to look in and think it’s chaotic but it’s not,” Liz Schindler added.
For their family the long days were for Easter Vigil and Passover Seders when they fell on the same day.
She said the Easter Vigil is one of her favorite services of the year and so they would compromise. Easter Vigil honors the resurrection of Jesus three days after his death. It is the conclusion of the Lenten season of prayer, fasting and penitence.
Passover commemorates the story told in Exodus of the Hebrew’s liberation from slavery in Egypt.
The compromise meant long days of services where they would leave the Passover Seder early and arrive at the Easter Vigil late.
Being from two different faith backgrounds, they often talk about what kind of faith education they want their son, Oliver to receive. Liz Schindler said the difference in faith has given them both a chance to explore other ways of thinking.
For others in interfaith relationships, Liz Schindler said support from one’s congregation is important and if they are not finding it to leave and find one that will.
This Dec. 25 interfaith families like the Schindlers will light both menorahs and Christmas trees, adding an extra layer of significance to their celebrations. While managing multiple traditions might seem complex to outsiders, many interfaith families have found their own rhythm in honoring both faiths.
The Schindlers’ approach reflects what many interfaith families have discovered: that blending traditions can enrich rather than diminish their religious experiences. As Liz Schindler noted earlier, it’s not about giving something up to have more – “it’s like a cornucopia.”
