The timing of the Christmas tree has always been a tricky thing. Since our house was 75 percent Jewish the object was to try to have the tree up for as few Chanukah days as possible while also trying to enjoy the tree as much as possible, with the understanding that the net enjoyment of the tree is greater during days before than after Christmas Day. If this sounds like too much math, well, it is.
Some years the Jewish calendar is my friend, with Chanukah beginning very early in December and finishing in time to have the tree up for a week before Christmas. Other years Chanukah shoved me into a snow drift and laughed at me, starting a few days before Christmas and finishing whenever it damn well pleased. Those years the two factions had to compromise on the tree date, meaning neither side got what they wanted but both sides were happy. Usually if Chanukah didn't end by the 20th the tree was going up anyway.
And for the record there is something beautiful about lighting Chanukah candles on Christmas Eve,
The thing about it is that I've become really grumpy about the early start to the Christmas season that Big Retail foists upon us. Black Friday is depressing in its swallowing of Thanksgiving, and when I hear Christmas music on October 1st at Walgreens I'm ready to jab someone with a Hallmark ornament. If I were king I'd decree that nothing starts until December. I wouldn't want to see one roll of wrapping paper or hear even a solitary sleigh bell in the distance. Exceptions would be extended to people who have to ship stuff to Canada. I mean do you realize that nearly ten percent of the year is spent in Christmas season? Ten percent!
I'm not part of the put-Christ-back-in-Christmas movement, whose intentions are good but whose cause is lost. But I really think the season is better when it's shorter, more concentrated. Like putting up my tree on December 20. It's five days of enjoyment but it's a really good five days.
Yes, I know my cause is lost too. And as for how long the tree stays up AFTER Christmas, well that's another blog post.
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