I'm A Religious Jew. And Yes, I Love Christmas!

Plus, announcing this month's book!

I'm A Religious Jew. And Yes, I Love Christmas!

Every year around this time, I get the same question. “Abby, aren’t you a religious Jew? How can you love Christmas so much?”

I totally understand the confusion. I openly declare my love of Christmas music and Christmas movies. I love driving around looking at Christmas lights. And I love drinking a great cup of eggnog. It must seem as though I’m eschewing my own faith to celebrate a Christian holiday.

Well, the truth is, we don’t celebrate Christmas. We don’t buy each other presents and exchange them, nor do we have a tree. But I do have the Christmas radio station on in my car; I love spying Christmas decorations; I love seeing the Christmas trees alight in people’s windows; I love watching Christmas films.

So how does this work?

As a religious Jew, I don’t believe that everyone needs to be Jewish. Judaism is a non-proselytizing faith, which means we don’t believe that you need to convert in order to reach heaven. Jews believe that the Jewish people were given an additional burden of responsibility, and we don’t expect anyone to take that on. Instead, we say, “If you follow the seven Noahide laws, you’re good!”

With that in mind, I love Christmas because I love seeing other religious people celebrating their faith. I love seeing the joy their holidays bring them. I love seeing the streets lit up with beautiful lights reflecting the season. I feel as though I’m at a baseball game - I’m not a player, but I’m cheering you all on from the sidelines and enjoying the spectacle.

Similarly, if you, as a Christian, love Chanukah, it makes sense to me! For example, this year we had over a bunch of our Christian friends for one of the nights of Chanukah. We shared the experience with them and explained the practices. We recognized that everyone there was “cheering from the sidelines” and enjoying the view, as it were. They weren’t celebrating it - it’s not their religion to celebrate. But they were enjoying the experience, just the same.

With that in mind, Christmas season has always been something I look forward to. And I think that’s part of it, too. I don’t look forward to the day of December 25th because we don’t celebrate the holiday! I look forward to the season of lights, music, and joy on people’s faces. For me, Christmas is almost more like a time of year than it is a specific day. I love playing Christmas music all season long, and I enjoy walking around and seeing our neighborhood lit up on a cold winter’s night.

So that’s how and why I love Christmas. I love that I get to enjoy this time of year from the sidelines and, without participating, enjoy the happiness of those around me. As a Jew, I have so many of my own holidays to look forward to - I’m perfectly content to enjoy the beauty without being a part of it.

So to all of you who celebrate, have a very merry Christmas!

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ANNOUNCING: This Month's Book Club Selection!

I’m excited to share this month’s book club selection! After we read Cheap Sex for our book club, I thought it would be appropriate to follow it up with The Joy of Intimacy! I’m so excited to delve into it.

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What You Might Have Missed On Classically Abby…

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Welcome to Classically Abby! 

I'm a wife, mama-to-be, opera singer, entrepreneur, YouTuber, and your guide to becoming the classic woman you've always wanted to be! Follow me on YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter to see how! And together, let's be classic.