Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

Formerly The DIY Bungalow

  • Home
  • About
    • About Karen & the Blog
    • Thirty Days of Gratitude
    • Habitat for Humanity ReStore Workshops
    • Stories from the Bungalow
    • Dogs Who Don’t Eat Pizza
      • Bear, the Original Dog Who Didn’t Eat Pizza
      • Hank Dog
      • Elvis Parsley
  • Project Index
    • DIY
    • Decorating
    • Shopping Tips
    • Repurposing and Upcycling
    • Paint and Color
    • Organizing
    • Cleaning
    • Recipes
    • Gardening
    • Holidays & Seasonal
    • Friday Five
  • Home Tour
    • The 1929 House
    • The First House
    • Room Reveals
  • Advertising
    • Disclosure and Privacy Policy
    • Advertising
  • Media
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Holidays & Seasonal / Day 24 of Thirty Days of Gratitude: The Holidays

Day 24 of Thirty Days of Gratitude: The Holidays

November 25, 2012 By Karen Cooper 2 Comments

Now that Thanksgiving is officially over, it’s time to start thinking about the next holidays coming up.  For some, that’s Christmas.  For others, that’s Hanukkah.  For me, it’s both.

bells and menorah - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza
Um, huh?

Let me start by explaining that I am Jewish.  But I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee – not exactly a hotbed of Judaism.  Sure, it has one of the largest Jewish populations in the south, but that wasn’t always the case.

My great-great-grandparents started a family business there and the business was handed down through the generations (until recently, but that’s not relevant here).  The business closed on all major holidays, including Christmas.  So, my family just decided at some point to celebrate Christmas – in a secular, “deck the halls” kind of way.  It was a time that the whole family was together and not working, so why not enjoy each other’s company and have a cup of cheer?

holiday entry - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza
But, as I said above, we’re Jewish.  So, we celebrate Hanukkah, too.

Once I was old enough to understand all of this, I was completely confused.

I have gone back and forth on whether this whole thing makes sense.

Regardless of whether it makes sense, it is a part of who I am.  It’s how I grew up.  It’s how I’m raising my children.

My friend Cynthia described it this way:  “One of my favorite things about you is the happy amalgamation you have put together of religious and secular holiday traditions. I joke about the Christmas tree, but I love it (to be honest, mine is no more religious in concept than yours, despite being raised Catholic). It’s quirky, but in an inclusive we’ll-take-the-best-of-everything sort of way. Happy everything!”

I thought that was one of the best compliments I’d ever received, and one of the best explanations of how my family has approached the holidays.

dreidels and apples - Dogs Don't Eat Pizza

I try to do that – make our holiday traditions that happy amalgamation.  The spirit of each holiday is what we celebrate here.  No, we don’t celebrate the birth of Jesus the way that my Christian friends do, but we celebrate fellowship, family, sharing, giving, love.  And we celebrate Hanukkah and the miracle of the oil lasting eight days, along with fellowship, family, sharing, giving, and love.

So, as I prepare for my annual holiday extravaganza, I’m thankful for my happy amalgamation.  It may be confusing, but it’s wacky and full of love and fun.

You might also like:

  • November: Thirty Days of Gratitude
    November: Thirty Days of Gratitude
  • Thirty Days of Gratitude 2016
    Thirty Days of Gratitude 2016
  • Thirty Days of Gratitude 2017
    Thirty Days of Gratitude 2017

Filed Under: Holidays & Seasonal, Thirty Days of Gratitude 2 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

« Thirty Days of Gratitude, Day 23: The Motherbird
Thirty Days of Gratitude, Day 25: Sunday mornings »




Comments

  1. Sarah Bégo says

    November 25, 2012 at 11:42 am

    In France Christmas is called “Noël” and because the word is not obviously making reference to the birth of the Christ many French people who are atheist, jewish or even muslim celebrate Noel as a tradition and not like a religious celebration. It’s a the occasion to spend some time with your family.
    I personally have jewish ancestors on my mom side but we’ve never celebrate any kind of Jewish Holidays. (The second world war is definitely responsible for the loss of the traditions in my family.)
    But we’ve always celebrate Christmas as a family tradition. (The second world war is definitely responsible for the loss of the jewish traditions in my family.)

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 25, 2012 at 8:39 pm

      I love that, Sarah! Thank you!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




find projects here!

My Daybed in This Old House Magazine!

Daybed from Old Doors featured in This Old House Magazine
Best of 2016 - Best Blog DIY Category - thediybungalow.com

Disclosure

Dogs Don't Eat Pizza is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.  Dogs Don't Eat Pizza also participates in other affiliate programs.

To see my complete disclosure and privacy policy, click HERE.

About Karen

A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
© Copyright 2012-2021, Dogs Don't Eat Pizza, LLC (formerly The DIY Bungalow LLC).