HAPPY AND MERRY CHRISMUKKAH 2024!
I recently asked a friend in New York if the holiday soiree he was attending was for Christmas, Hanukkah, or my personal fave—Chrismukkah, which shows up only every so often. It’s not exactly Brigadoon, (it last happened in 2016,) but it’s when the two main holidays occur at the same time, as is exactly happening tomorrow night. Hanukkah actually begins on Christmas night this year. Hence Chrismukkah!
“Seth Cohen,” (wearing his Santa hat as a yarmulke,) and his girlfriend “Summer Roberts” on The O.C.
That east coast pal expressed major surprise when he told me that the party’s hostess used the same word, as well, as if it was such a novelty. So lest you also think that this clever moniker is something his fest’s host and I were the two people in the world who came up with, let me explain. I wish I was that creative. It was actually coined in 2003 by the character Seth Cohen on one of my all-time favorite TV shows, The OC. (So therefore, really coined by a writer of that series.) Seth’s parents were of different religions, so he deemed Chrismukkah to be “the greatest super-holiday known to mankind, drawing the best of what Christianity and Judaism have to offer.”
As someone who has celebrated both holidays for most of my life, (but being Jewish, Christmas has never been religious for me, of course; it’s rather just a fun and colorful one with Santa as its star,) I get really tickled the few times that Chrismukkah rolls around! (Yes, Hanukkah usually falls somewhere around Christmas, but rarely begins on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.)
A beautiful example of Chrismukkah.
If Mr. X and I still gave each other gifts, this would be a massive occasion for us. We used to dole out about three or four dozen gifts to the other for just Christmas, and then the eight nights of Chanukah means one more gift each evening during it. That would be crazy to do at the same time, especially since we both need nothing at all.
But, as you may know, we haven’t done the holidays up right since 2011 when my beloved little mother passed away on Christmas Day while we were visiting her. (I’m really sorry to bring it up again here, so please forgive me—I’ve held myself back from mentioning the sad significance of the 25th for Mr. X and me until this paragraph, but would feel neglectful to my mother’s memory if I did not.) So there will be only the smallest of gifts, if any, for us this year.
Where does my great friend, Carol Rampino, find these perfect double-holiday greeting cards?! And she does so every year, not just this special Chrismukkah one! Photo by Karen Salkin.
But I do have several great friends who made these holidays special for me already, and I truly thank them from the bottom of my heart. I received several very thoughtful gifts and cards and meals, which were all totally unexpected. I appreciate every little kindness that comes my way, and those pals put some much-needed pep in my step this year.
Speaking of gifts, there is one tiny one I would super-appreciate from all of you! All I want for Chrismukkah is for everyone, who doesn’t do so already, to follow me on all my social platforms. I thank you all in advance. Here’s all the info you need to do it:
Instagram: majorcelebrity
Twitter: @MajorCelebrity
Facebook Fan Page: It’s Not About Me TV
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UCF7mwI2jwcB2xB9dBCBxLZg
A cute image of Chrismukkah.
Lastly, my message on this double occasion is that, just as the disparate holidays go hand-in-hand this year, we must all work together for a safer and better world, in 2025 more than ever.
And now, I wish all of you the happiest, merriest, kindest, safest, and most peaceful Chrismukkah ever!
