This year I plan to celebrate Hanukkah too - in my own way, because it's important to me. I grew up celebrating Christmas and my dad, who is Jewish, did as well.
I love the feeling of lots of people celebrating all at once. This is one of the times of the year I miss the Czech Republic the most. Christmas in Prague is so magical. The season really starts on December 5th, St. Nicholas Day, when St. Nicholas, accompanied by a devil and an angel comes knocking on your door and asks you, if you are a little boy or girl, if you've been good or bad. Meanwhile the devil is rattling his metal chain and you're so scared he'll take you away that you're pooping your pants, that is if you're not hiding under your bed. Of course you hope your parents will say you've been good. Then you're asked to sing a song or recite a poem for St. Nicholas and he rewards you with a bag of goodies, usually fruit and candy. If you've been bad though, you get coal and potatoes. I did once, as a joke. Later I was given fruit and candy and the adults had a good laugh at my expense.
One time when I was about twelve years old I dressed up as St. Nicholas, defying status quo. My sister dressed up as an angel and our friend Helena as a devil. We walked around the neighborhood, knocking on doors and scaring little children to tears. They really believed I was Nicholas (or Mikulas, as we say). It must've been the fake beard.
I must have been around five years old when I recognized the devil as my parents' colleague from the theater. He was wearing white man flesh colored tights I still remember to this day. Everything I had believed up until that day had been shattered. I was so disappointed. I felt lied to and angry, very much the way children here must feel when they learn that Santa is really their parents' car mechanic, making an extra buck at the mall taking pictures with little kids on his lap.
Prague is so beautiful at Christmas time. The streets and the squares are lit up and full of stands with beautiful handmade crafts. The blacksmiths are out, hammering out metal buckles and knives. The carp sellers dish out live fish for Christmas dinner with their nets from their sidewalk barrels. The mulled wine sold in cafes and stands outside smells divine. And when it snows and the city grows quiet, and you can hear the horsehooves and carriages roaming Old Town, you're transported at least a hundred years back in time. I miss that.
But we're making new holiday traditions here and we're very excited.
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