Condolensces to Lady Door and Ciato, even if the former is a touch late.
regarding the Christmas nonsense...well, being Jewish means it has less of my ability to care for it. Hannukah exists, sure, but that's not really that big...
...ok, scratch that. Hannukah is complete and total commercial nonsense, its not even funny. Frankly, if you've read the "Informed Judaism" article in TV Tropes, you already have an idea.
Hannukah is a rather MINOR Holiday in Judaism, in honesty. All you do is light a candle each night, and that's it. Yeah, there's the Dreydal, and some Hannukah foods, but those only kick in if you're having a party/get together/whatever during that time. The presents? It was basically them mimicing Christmas, through and through. In services, all that occurs is we do the same services that happens every time you start a new month, adding an extra 15 minutes total to the service (this is contrast to some of the more major holidays that turn a 30 minute service into 3 hours.)
What stands out about it is its 8 days, but really, its 8 days of candle lighting and not much else.
And yet, its one of the most famous jewish holidays for gentiles near as I can tell (and more secular Jews.) Sounds like only Passover comes close. People don't know of the actual big ones like Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashannah, etc. And you know what? That's ok; if you aren't Jewish, why care?
But because its so commercialized as being this "Jews equivalent of Christmas" that it gets well known, when its...really, just an excuse to give out presents.
Now, Christmas for me has a different, really weird meaning. Why?
For most Jews, Christmas = Go to movies and eat chinese food. Its not our holiday, and those are the only things open, and most other people are at home, so take advantage of no lines and less crowded public places!
For me? Its my father's birthday. So, uh, yeah, I'm stuck at home *ANYWAY* <_<;
