Ho Ho Hanukkah
Who could be more appropriate to jolly things up at Sunday’s Lighting of the Menorah ceremony than… Santa?
Last Sunday, I was called upon to represent the roll-bellied icon of Christmas-lovers everywhere slap bang in the middle of a Hanukkah celebration. Modern-day Christmas musak was replaced by the Jewish Choral Society, yule treats made way for latkes and typical exchanges between children and myself went like this.
CHILD: Know what I want for Christmas?
SANTA: What’s that, my dear?
CHILD: Nothing. I don’t celebrate it.
The event started at 4 p.m. and was a collaboration between the CofC’s Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program and the Office of Cultural Affairs. Fair enough, Santa (hired by OCA) was billed as being at the square every Sunday until 5 p.m., and it would have looked bad if I’d stomped off right in the middle of the ceremony. But Kriss Kringle still looked mighty incongruous and I kept my trademark ho-hos to a minimum. As the always-tactful Mrs. Claus put it, “I’ve never felt so out of place.”
Last Sunday, I was called upon to represent the roll-bellied icon of Christmas-lovers everywhere slap bang in the middle of a Hanukkah celebration. Modern-day Christmas musak was replaced by the Jewish Choral Society, yule treats made way for latkes and typical exchanges between children and myself went like this.
CHILD: Know what I want for Christmas?
SANTA: What’s that, my dear?
CHILD: Nothing. I don’t celebrate it.
The event started at 4 p.m. and was a collaboration between the CofC’s Yaschik/Arnold Jewish Studies Program and the Office of Cultural Affairs. Fair enough, Santa (hired by OCA) was billed as being at the square every Sunday until 5 p.m., and it would have looked bad if I’d stomped off right in the middle of the ceremony. But Kriss Kringle still looked mighty incongruous and I kept my trademark ho-hos to a minimum. As the always-tactful Mrs. Claus put it, “I’ve never felt so out of place.”
Ruth Ann Wiley as Mrs Claus: still smilin'.
posted by Nick Smith @ 5:52 AM
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