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Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/40730/full/40730/make-chanukah-special-for-your-kids-no-bush-required/ <br /><br /> <b>Make Chanukah special for your kids — no bush required</b> <br /> Thursday, December 3, 2009 | by <br /><br /><p><em>My kids (ages 5 and 8) really love Christmas trees. They know that I won’t have one in our house because we’re Jewish, but recently someone told them about a Chanukah bush, and they’ve been asking if we can get one of those. How can I explain to them my discomfort with the tradition without seeming like a grinch? —Henry, Nashville, Tenn.</em></p> <p>Oy. I try to be impartial about these things, Henry, but I’m with you when it comes to Chanukah bushes. I just don’t like them.</p> <p><img alt="CHANtree" class="left" height="297" src="/images/uploads/z_photos_2009/c12_04_09/CHANtree.jpg" title="CHANtree" width="216" />First of all, you might want to get your hands on the children’s book by Susan Sussman called “There’s No Such Thing as a Chanukah Bush, Sandy Goldstein.” The situation it deals with is not precisely the same as yours, but reading the book might be a good way to start the conversation with your kids.</p> <p>The concern I think most people have with Chanukah bushes is that they are</p> <p>too close for comfort to Christmas trees. There’s not much difference between the two, as far as I can tell. Slapping a Jewish star on something and then calling it a Jewish ritual item is like putting a lion mask on your dog, having him run around in your backyard and calling it a safari.</p> <p>When you’re talking with your kids about this, you can discuss how Jewish holidays aim to keep the traditions and history of the Jewish people alive. You can look at other ritual items you might have in your home — a seder plate, a siddur, a noisemaker, etc. — and talk about how all of them are connected to things in Jewish history. Then talk about a Chanukah bush and how it really doesn’t have a Jewish history at all.</p> <p>One thing I think is helpful in this kind of situation is focusing on the ways that your kids can celebrate with others without taking on their ideology. Your kids can visit friends who have Christmas trees, and can enjoy the trees that are out in public spaces. But they should do this to be happy for others, not to take on non-Jewish rituals as their own.</p> <p>The best way to combat Christmas envy is to amp up your own Chanukah celebrations in ways that aren’t purely derivative of Christian traditions. Consider making your own window decorations to help publicize the mitzvah of lighting Chanukah candles. Make Chanukah foods from scratch (latkes and sufganiyot are Ashkenazi options, or try Sephardi/Mizrahi burmelos and atayef), and set up a dreidel tournament. You can even have a contest in your family to see who can make the most interesting chanukiyah from things around the house.</p> <p>I think the key to getting your children to enjoy all of these holiday activities is to steer the conversation away from direct comparisons to Christmas. Celebrating Chanukah shouldn’t be about providing an alternative to Christmas. If you bill it that way, you’ll always lose out to Santa and Christmas trees.</p> <p>If you own a children’s book or game about the Jewish calendar, now is a great time to bring it out. If you have family pictures from Jewish holidays in years past, this is a great time to look at them. Kids love looking at how much they’ve changed and grown up, and enjoy reminiscing about how they celebrated holidays.</p>

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