Hanukkah vs Christmas: What Non-Jews Get Wrong Every Year

Let's Get the Big One Out of the Way

Hanukkah is not "Jewish Christmas." It never was Jewish Christmas. It will not become Jewish Christmas no matter how many times it is called that by people who mean well. Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that happens to fall in December. Christmas is a Christian holiday that also happens to fall in December. The calendar proximity is not a theological connection.

This matters because when people treat Hanukkah as the Jewish version of Christmas, they imply that Jewish people need a parallel version of Christian holidays, which misunderstands both the independence of Jewish tradition and the actual importance of Hanukkah within the Jewish calendar. Hanukkah is a minor holiday in the religious hierarchy. The big ones are Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover. Hanukkah became culturally prominent in America largely because it falls near Christmas and gave Jewish parents a December celebration for their children.

Now let's get into the other things non-Jews consistently get wrong.

Wrong: Hanukkah Is Eight Days of Major Jewish Celebration

Hanukkah is eight days long because the miracle it commemorates — a small flask of oil burning for eight days in the reclaimed Temple — lasted eight days. The eight days were not designed to compete with the Christmas season. They were designed to match the duration of the miracle.

Within the Jewish religious calendar, Hanukkah does not have the weight that its cultural prominence in America suggests. You do not miss work for Hanukkah. There are no mandatory synagogue services. The holiday is meaningful and joyful and involves candle-lighting, fried food, and small gifts, but it is not a High Holy Day. It is closer in religious significance to a minor festival than to the kind of holiday that stops everything.

Wrong: Eight Nights of Gifts Is Traditional

The traditional Hanukkah gift is gelt, which means money. Specifically, small amounts of money or chocolate coins given to children. The eight-night gift tradition is an American Jewish invention driven by proximity to Christmas and the completely understandable desire of Jewish parents to keep pace with the cultural weight of a holiday that fills every store and radio station from November through December.

Nobody is giving eight nights of substantial presents because that is how Hanukkah has always been observed. That is how Hanukkah evolved in the American context. The evolution is understandable. It is not the original.

Wrong: The Menorah Has Nine Candles Because of the Eight Days

The Hanukkah menorah, properly called a chanukiah, has nine branches. Eight are for the eight nights. The ninth, called the shamash or helper candle, is used to light the others and is kept at a different height to distinguish it from the holiday candles. The shamash is not a bonus night. It is a functional element of the ritual.

The seven-branched menorah you see in Jewish contexts referring to the Temple is a different object with different symbolism. The chanukiah is specifically a Hanukkah object. They are not interchangeable.

Wrong: Hanukkah Food Is Just Potato Pancakes

Latkes are central to American Hanukkah observance, and they are excellent, and they deserve every bit of their reputation. But sufganiyot, the jelly-filled doughnuts that are central to Hanukkah in Israel, are equally traditional and arguably more festive. Both are fried in oil. That is the point: the oil commemorates the miracle. The latke and the sufganiyah are both correct expressions of the same ritual logic.

If you are invited to a Hanukkah celebration and only expect potato pancakes, prepare to be pleasantly surprised by the doughnuts.

Wrong: "Happy Hanukkah" and "Happy Chanukah" Are Different

Both spellings are correct transliterations of the same Hebrew word, which starts with a guttural ch sound that English does not have a standard letter for. The H version is more common in American English. The Ch version is closer to the Hebrew pronunciation. Neither is wrong. Say whichever you prefer and say it with genuine warmth. That is what your Jewish friends want to receive.

What To Actually Do

If you have Jewish friends or colleagues, "Happy Hanukkah" is correct and appreciated. If you are invited to a Hanukkah party, go. Eat the latkes. Watch the candles being lit. Ask what the blessings mean. Your curiosity is welcome.

If you want to give a Hanukkah gift, chocolate gelt is traditional and delightful. A thoughtful card acknowledging the holiday is always appropriate. What is not appropriate is wrapping a Christmas gift in blue paper and calling it a Hanukkah present. Your Jewish friends will smile. But they will tell this story at many future Hanukkah celebrations.

Learn a little. Celebrate appropriately. Eat the latkes. Everyone wins.

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