Do Jews Celebrate Christmas?

A straightforward yes or no answer to this question is not possible, because Jews around the world, like followers of most religions, are not uniform in their beliefs and practices, so they may or may not observe Christmas to various degrees. Many Jews would strongly respond no, because Christmas is not part of Judaism—not only do they not celebrate it, but they believe that they absolutely should not. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Jesus, who for Christians is the Messiah. However, for most Jews who believe in a human messiah, that redeeming figure is still to come. Many Jews would insist that the only winter holiday to celebrate is Hanukkah and that celebrating Jesus on Christmas is ʿavodah zarah (“foreign worship”). But other Jews, especially in Europe and the United States, do participate in Christmas for a multitude of reasons and in different fashions, both religious and secular.

Nittel Nacht

Among Ashkenazi Jews of eastern Europe, beginning in the Middle Ages, it became a tradition to avoid studying the Torah (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible) and to stay up all night on Christmas Eve, which they called Nittel Nacht. For some it was a matter of safety, since it was feared that Jews traveling from home to school or synagogue might face violence from their Christian neighbors. Some Christian government leaders prohibited Jews from being in public spaces during the holiday. But there was also a belief, common in European culture of the time, that supernatural forces and ghosts of the dead roamed on Christmas Eve, and religious practices and sexual relations were deemed dangerous when evil lurked. These forces were thought to be warded off by eating garlic and engaging in lively activities at night. Jews of this time and region thought that the ghost of Jesus, although he was Jewish by birth, walked the land and haunted Jews. As a result, it became a tradition, still followed among some Hasidic Jews, to observe Nittel Nacht on Christmas Eve, during which Jews stayed up all night in the home, did not study the Torah, avoided sexual relations, ate ample amounts of garlic, and played cards or chess.

Christmas trees

Beginning mainly in the 19th century, some Jews attempted to assimilate into mainstream European and American culture by participating in Christmas traditions that are not closely tied to the Christian meaning of the holiday. Many secularized Jews in Germany and Austria began putting up Christmas trees; for example, secularist Zionist leader Theodor Herzl had a Christmas tree. Likewise, in the United States in the 19th and into the 20th century it was common for Ashkenazi Jewish immigrants to take part in Christmas festivities, in a secular way, and to decorate their homes with Christmas trees and wreath decorations. A Jewish Christmas tree is sometimes referred to, jokingly, as a “Hanukkah bush.” However, this practice is often discouraged by more-observant Jewish religious leaders looking to define the boundaries of tradition. Sociological studies have shown that the adoption of Christmas trees among Jews in the United States was relatively common in the 1950s but had decreased significantly by the 1990s because of decreased assimilation pressures and the increased prominence of Hanukkah, which became a favored December festival alternative.

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Chinese food

Another way many Ashkenazi Jews in the United States pass the Christmas season is by going out to a restaurant for Chinese food. This is not just a joke (however comically it is often mentioned). Jewish and Chinese immigrants lived in close proximity on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, and, from the late 19th century, Chinese restaurants became a favorite destination for Jewish patronage. Since Chinese food is typically dairy-free, it was easier at Chinese restaurants than at other establishments to keep kosher (to not mix dairy and meat) at least as long as pork and shellfish, being nonkosher, were avoided or rendered inconspicuous. On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Chinese restaurants were often the only establishments open to customers, and they found an eager clientele among Jews looking for an outing and good food when other restaurants were closed. As motion pictures grew into a popular pastime in the 20th century, Chinese food and a movie became an unofficial Jewish Christmas custom.

Musical contributions

Although Jews traditionally do not celebrate Christmas, Jewish songwriters in the United States wrote some of the most beloved Christmas songs of the 20th century, leaving indelible marks for all celebrants on the experience of the festive season.

Religious and interfaith celebrations

Messianic Jews and Jews for Jesus, movements that began in the 1960s and ’70s, sometimes do celebrate Christmas as a religious holiday. These groups believe that Jesus is the awaited Messiah, and they maintain a Jewish identity and blend Christian and Jewish traditions. Jews for Jesus members typically celebrate Christmas. However, among Messianic Jews there are various opinions on the matter: Some celebrate Christmas, some reject December 25 as the date of Jesus’ birth, and others celebrate that event at Hanukkah. Also, some Jews in interfaith marriages, and their children, celebrate Christmas to varying degrees. Some families may combine it with Hanukkah under the portmanteau word Chrismukkah, which was popularized in a 2003 episode of the television show The O.C., starring Adam Brody.