This year, for the first time since 2005, Christmas and Hanukkah fall on the same day. We figured, there’s no better way to celebrate “Chrismukkah” than with a tribute to the Jewish Americans who wrote our country’s most beloved Christmas tunes. Click below to listen to Eli Lake’s delightful podcast, or scroll down to enjoy his essay, and Merry Chrismukkah, everyone! —The Editors
I love Christmas—the parties, the spirit of charity, the lights glowing on modest row houses, the tree at Rockefeller Center, even the schmaltzy movies. What I really love, though, is the music.
I am Jewish, so you won’t find me dragging a small Douglas fir into my living room. I will not attend midnight mass or keep an advent calendar. On Christmas Day, I eat wonton soup and sweet and sour chicken at a Chinese restaurant, as is my people’s tradition. But the music of the season is a balm and a bop. And it’s not only infectious; it’s secular.
Think of the most beloved Christmas songs, like “Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!”
It’s about winter and romance: “When we finally kiss goodnight / How you'll hate going out in the storm.” There’s no mention of Nazareth, three wise men, frankincense, or myrrh. It’s warm and homey, but vaguely sexy too. Cheeky and charming, and not remotely Christian. Any American can relate.
Or “The Christmas Song,” with references to Santa, turkey, and mistletoe; it doesn’t feel like revelation so much as cocktail hour. It’s not about Christ. It’s about Christmas.
What’s most surprising, however, is that the Americans who wrote those two Christmas standards—and most of the other seasonal classics—were, like Jesus himself, Jews.