Welcome to the 12 Days of Christmas Blog Hop!
I wanted to welcome all visitors from May Flaum’s blog. If you’ve made it this far, you’re awesome because I know I’m the last stop on the hop!! Since I am last, I assume you’ve already read all about the class so I will go right to my story:
For my little tidbit, I want to share with you the story of our Christmas tree. I grew up in Istanbul, Turkey where most of the population is Muslim (however I am Jewish.) All my childhood, we had Christmas trees and so did every other household. In Turkey, we call them New Year’s trees and we decorate them and put presents under them just like they do in the United States. The only difference is that we open our presents on New Year’s Day and not Christmas. I’ve always loved the trees. So much so that when I moved to the United States for college, on my first winter break back home, my parents set up the tree in advance just to surprise me.
My first holiday season in the States, I was told by several other Jewish friends that because I was Jewish, I wasn’t allowed to have a Christmas tree. Jews didn’t celebrate Christmas after all. This made me incredibly sad. I was not willing to give up my beloved tree just because traditions are different in this country.
So as the years passed and I graduated college and got married and had a family of my own, I contemplated this “tree problem.” I finally decided since my kids were already going to be a mix of Turkish and American and Jewish and Christian (my husband is American and only half Jewish), we could create our own versions of any holiday we wanted. This is how we came to have what we call our “Jewish Christmas Tree”:
It’s pretty simple: basically all the ornaments and lights on our tree are blue or white. But, to me, it’s special. It’s my way of remembering my childhood and nationality (the tree) and integrating my religion into it and making a mixture of all of who I am and who my husband is and creating the perfect combination. (Which is what my kids are – a perfect combination of the two of us!)
Making it work for us.
That’s what the holidays are all about for me. Do you have any of your “combination” holiday traditions?
If the holidays are as special to you as they are to me, I hope you’ll join me and the 11 other amazing teachers in celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas!
You can sign up either by clicking the link above or by clicking here. I very much look forward to seeing you in class.
And just in case you came here out of order, here are the others on today’s hop:
1. Nic Howard
2. Georgana Hall
3. Stacy Julian
4. Tami Morrison
5. Wendy Smedley
6. Lisa Day
7. Kelly Purkey
8. Elizabeth Dillow
9. May Flaum
10. Karen Grunberg – you’re here!
Thank you for sharing this story. I love it when people can be flexible to adapt things to suit their needs and how annoying it must’ve been told that you can’t have a tree – even though it’s something you’ve always known to have!
Your tree looks lovely and thank you for sharing the story of your special tree!
thanks for sharing. What a special story. I think it’s so important to make new traditions for our families that as well as including the old.
I love this story and so glad your making it work for your family. I can’t imagine not having a tree. We have two trees and would do more if there was room. My kids each have one in their rooms and I put little mini ones around the house.
The family tree has all red/green and the kids ornaments from school and special ones we’ve collected. My tree is like yours blue/white with snowflakes, ribbons, snowmen, anything about COLD is on it and I LOOOOVE it!!
Thanks so much for sharing this with us and I really want to take this class but due to it being close to Christmas my funds are a little low right now. Maybe next year if you do this again.
I love this! Even as a kid, I wanted a Chanukah bush. At all my jobs, I’m the one that decorates the tree. Love yours!
Gorgeous tree!
Can not wait for this class to start!
What a beautiful tree – with such a beautiful story to go with it! I love the combining of traditions into new traditions for our families. I hope your holiday season is BRIGHT!
Thanks for sharing your story.
What I love most about Christmas is that traditions changes as new familymembers are added to the family. Some we keep and often we love the new ones.
Happy December Karen!
Thanks for sharing your story. My parents didn’t celebrate Christmas back in their country, but since immigrating here 30+years, its a part of us.
Karen I knew a bit about your Jewish Christmas Tree through your blog, but I finally have the complete story behind the tree. : > Thank you for sharing.I love knowing how people grew up, traditions and where they come from.
This is such a great story! I love the idea of your Jewish tree. Traditions should be what you want and bringing back the memory of your childhood New Years trees is fantastic!
What a lovely tree. Having a New Years Tree is a fine tradition and one you should be proud to own. I cannot imagine “friends” telling someone not to practice their tradition because it might suggest you did not embrace your faith. In truth, Xmas trees like much of the holiday celebrations are probably pagan in origin and just adapted to custom. I’m glad you follow your heart and your own good sense. I’m a lover of traditions and history and am happy and love to decorate my home for the holidays for those reasons alone.
Karen, I was wondering about your background! I was born in a Soviet Union (I am Jewish) and we also celebrated New Year with a New Year Tree. I never never about other places that had the same tradition. I do miss the tree from my childhood. Thanks for sharing!
and thank you for sharing!! 🙂 I never knew about other places having the same tradition until I was in Japan 🙂