Crushing Chrismukkah: How to Navigate the Holidays as an Interfaith Family

Tree or no tree? Gifts or no gifts? Egg nog or egg cream? The holiday season can be a stressful time–particularly if you’re trying to blend multiple holiday traditions. With Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa all falling around the same time, there’s a lot to celebrate! 

For multifaith families, finding the right mix of traditions is an ongoing balancing act. But with these tips and resources, we’re here to support you as you work to bring your beautifully diverse family together. 

1. Talk about it. The most important thing you can do is to have an open and honest conversation about what the holidays mean to you and what kind of memories you want to make together. Use these discussion questions to help guide that conversation, and then make a plan together to map out what your holiday traditions will look like. 
   
   
2. Embrace the gray. One of the hardest things about the holidays (and life) is learning to live in the gray area. Remind yourself that things don't have to be black and white, and it’s okay to make new traditions. Be open to breaking the rules a little bit, and to blending traditions in a way that feels personal and meaningful to you and your family. When you do that, you open life up to meaningful memories and moments. 
   
   
3. Focus on what brings you together. What do the holidays have in common? What values do you share that you want to bring into the holidays? For starters, try playing off the theme of light. How does “light” fit into the different holiday traditions? What can you do as a family to bring more light into your celebration? (Glow stick dance party, anyone?)
   
   
4. Be open to learning. Do you know why we play Dreidel on Hanukkah? Or why we give gifts on Christmas? Or what each Kwanzaa candle represents? Approaching a new holiday with curiosity instead of judgement will help you keep an open mind and understand the significance and shared values behind new traditions. 
   
   
5. Join our Hanukkah Parents Connection group. If you’re raising a Jewish or Jew-ish family, join our first-ever Hanukkah group for parents of all backgrounds and faiths. Together, we’ll learn new ways to celebrate Hanukkah and we’ll create new rituals for bringing meaningful memories and moments to our family. 

What other advice do you have for interfaith families this holiday season? How do you blend different traditions in your celebrations? Let us know at info@recustom.com, or on social media.