Ryan and Sammie go to a non-denomination school that is associated with a temple. Driving home from school last year, Ryan asked me what the Hebrew word for tree was. I looked at her in the rear view mirror and just told her that 'arbol' was the Spanish word for it. She looked at me quizzically, not unlike the look I gave her when she sang "Drano, drano, drano, I made it out of clay." This week, they are learning about the menorah and dreidel which prompted Ryan to ask me about Hanukkah as I was putting her to bed last night.
I tried to explain to her that Hanukkah is a holiday like Christmas. I told her that in fact, our next door neighbors, the Kaplans, celebrate Hanukkah because they are Jewish. She asked if we were Jewish and what Jewish was. I told her that we weren't Jewish and that it's a religion.
"What's regilin?" she asked. "I can't say it."
"It's a hard word. Religion. It's a way that people believe in God. The Whitmires (the neighbors two doors down) are Catholic and go to church and Catholics celebrate Christmas. The Kaplans are Jewish and they celebrate Hanukkah, " I tried to explain.
"Are we Catholic then?"
"No, we don't really practice any religion." I told her. We both stopped and listened to the snow melting. It sounded like a light rain falling. I knew what her follow up question was going to be so I was trying to think of an answer before it came.
"Why do we celebrate Christmas then?"
Because everyone else does? I didn't say that but if I were being honest, I guess that's the answer. Like many, we embrace the spirit of the holiday if not the genesis of it. I explained to Ryan that we celebrate so that we can get our family to together and have a nice meal and enjoy the holiday spirit. She went on to ask me about Kwanzaa (I'm not making this up) and I was able to tell her next to nothing about it other than it's another holiday some people celebrate this time of year. She didn't press it so I'm guessing they give it a cursory mention at school and not much else.
To my girls, the holidays are a time of music, cookies, presents and wonder. For example, Sammie and Ryan have fully embraced the magic of Hector, our Elf on the shelf. Each morning they race to find him and giggle if he's in a place they deem strange (such as hanging from the cords that pull the curtains up and down). This morning he was sitting on the second story window ledge over the stairs. When the neighborhood kids came over, Ryan pointed him out.
"Look, it's Hector. Don't touch him or you'll take his magic away," she warned.
Lauren and Christopher Whitmire, ages 8 and 5, stared in awe at the 7 inch elf sitting there, looking over the house. Felyssa Kaplan, age 6 1/2, started to tell everyone that he's not real, he's just plastic. When I realized where she was going, I started talking loudly so the other kids wouldn't hear and I over-ruled her with the 'sure he's real, he's in a different place each morning' argument. She looked at me defiantly but something in my look must have said "I'll hang you upside down from that same window ledge if you say anything more" because she slowly backed away. About 10 minutes later I heard her announce that she hates Christmas (she was anxiously awaiting sundown to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah) and that was about the time I sent everyone home.
I won't take it well if the magic of Santa and/or Hector is spoiled for my girls before their time, like maybe when they get their driver's license. Sammie is so full of wonder and curiosity over how Santa flies, when he will fly, what he will bring etc. If she sees a picture of Santa on TV or on a magazine or on a balloon at the market, she yells "Santa! Ho Ho Ho" and she wraps her arm around her chin like it's a beard and says "Look, I Santa" and we all laugh. Ryan keeps telling us new things she wants Santa to bring, which might be problematic since I'm pretty sure Santa has already gotten her a scooter. Both girls ran around from window to window last night, sure they saw Santa's sleigh in the sky and maybe even Rudolph's nose (to their credit, there was a tiny red light shining through the trees but I'm pretty sure it was holiday light of some sort and not Rudolph). When I explained that Santa wouldn't be coming for 3 more nights, Ryan argued that maybe he is flying around now getting last minute things done. Sammie is going to be disappointed on Christmas morning because I'm pretty sure she thinks Santa comes to stay.
It makes me very happy to know that the girls are equally excited to have Grandear, Grandpa, Alex and Greg come visit as they are about the pending giftapolouza that is Christmas morning. They have been counting down the days until they arrive for the past week ("two more big sleeps, right mom?") which I hope justifies our pagan celebration.
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