They Said There'd Be Snow This Christmas

And so this is Christmas (Eve) and what have you done?  Even though I'm not Christian, the holiday brings back so many memories.

The earliest ones I have are of my parents lighting a menorah, and placing an electric one in the window, but seeing the far brighter and more colorful Christmas lights some of our neighbors had, and asking about that. I got a simple answer: "We're Jewish and we celebrate Chanukah, but our Christian friends celebrate Christmas." I'd get a nice gift, but it always seemed Christmas was much more of a big deal.

In grade school, all the decorations were Christmas ones, and the songs we sang in chorus had no Chanukah tunes, even though I guess my school was about 1/4 Jewish. My friend Eric Grossman's father Buddy and MY Dad went to see the school principal -- a man with a name straight out of Dickens -- Vernon M. Gridley.

Mr. Gridley always looked like Eisenhower to me, but in a more skinny and Caspar Milquetoast sort of way. Mr. G and my Dad said he sort of stuttered that he was just continuing the way things always were, and coughed, but the Jewish WW II and Korean War vet said it was time for a change -- it was the late 60s!  Sure enough, there were a few paper menorahs up the next week, and the chorus director added a Chanukah song or two, though we all realized, even as kids, that the Christmas songs were much better. My Dad comforted me with the understanding that all good Christmas music was written by Jews.

Later, my sister dated and then married an Irish Catholic guy, and Christmas was a holiday we spent at his parents' house. There was a HUGE pile of gifts under the tree, and always a small one for me. My Mom tried to explain it away, saying that "Every day is like Christmas for you -- you get what you want no matter the time of year."  I knew she was right, of course, but still had some envy for the kids who got to open all those boxes and put together all those new toys...

When I was a teen, I became close with a girl named Debbie, whose Dad was Italian, and Mom was Irish. Debbie was just like Virginia in the Billy Joel song. He paternal grandparents were right out of a Scorcese movie -- in a positive way. They had a lovely Christmas Eve, and I was always invited to the amazing feast of fish and cold cuts, before the family left for Midnight Mass. I went with them one year, and fell asleep. Debbie nudged me awake. Served her right for bringing an infidel to St. James...

We moved to Florida the day after I graduated high school, and I was always home with my parents in Delray for the holidays. My Mom's family always went out for dinner Christmas -- a large group of older Jews looking for an open restaurant. The place always had a salad bar, and I was the youngest one there.  Years later, when SNL came out with a great claymation skit, "Christmastime for the Jews," it resonated with me.

And then, in '83, I met Wifey, who was born on Christmas Day. It was also her parents' anniversary -- my in laws were married after the War in Haifa -- Christmas was just another day there. Wifey would pout, still does, if there was no birthday card, so each year I'd have to remember to buy one BEFORE her birthday -- back in the day, wasn't nothing open on Xmas Day.

The Ds came around, and for years we'd go to my sister and brother in law's for the day. My sister, a Bronx born Jewess, out Christmased EVERY Christian I knew. I suspected this, and it was confirmed one year by my friend Darriel, who grew up VERY Polish Catholic, to a mother who decorated for the holiday in the Keys, where they lived. Darriel was a guest at a huge Christmas party my sister and brother in law hosted. Darriel said they NEVER had two trees, and various Christmas scenes like my sister did.

When the Ds got older, Wifey put her foot down, and said enough with the Christmas thing -- it was her birthday, and she wanted to spend the day with her family seeing a movie, and eating Chinese food -- like most Jews do.

One year, we went away, to Atlantis in the Bahamas. D2 was 8 or so, and years later, when we went again following her graduation from high school, she admitted that on the first visit, she thought it was the REAL Atlantis -- rescued from the sea. We still find that unbelievably cute

This year, D2 and Jonathan are back home in Miami permanently. I think tomorrow night we're going for dinner at a Greek place in the Grove that's open. Wifey will read the emails she treasures from her Ds and me. Actually, I typed and printed hers out -- we got a new computer yesterday,and I wanted to give the printer a test run...

2019 draws to a close. I think we're staying in for New Year's this time around -- the better to rest up for the coming big, fat, Venezuelan wedding at the end of January.

And to all who celebrate Noche Buena y Navidad -- may it be a happy one.