Those of you in inter-religious marriages does Christmas take over?

Absolutely does if you have kids. That seals it. It did for us, anyway. My wife’s Buddhist, so I can’t help you with reactions to Rosh Hashanah.

@ETpro I was just using Judaism as an example, Buddhists count too.

@ETpro Does your family do anything for her to acknowledge important religious holidays in Buddhism? I know nothing about Buddhism.

What bites is the big festivals in Thailand are really more about being out with the people than stay-at-home affairs. Songkran is the celebration of the traditional New Year. In Thailand, it comes at the hottest part of the year, and at the end of the dry spell. Everyone throngs into the streets and throws water into the air and at everyone they see. There are tons of water balloons, Super-Soaker water guns, and even kids in pick up trucks with buckets full of water.

The Festival of Lights, or Loi Krathong is a beautiful ceremony where they launch tens of thousands of banana leaf boats adorned with candles, setting them afloat on the Choa Phraya river and other waterways and lakes.

Both are beautiful, but difficult to duplicate without the crowds.

I was an agnostic Christian married to an agnostic Jewish man for almost 20 years. We celebrated every major holiday, with all family members invited to our home, regardless of their religion. Our Passover Seders often had more Christians in attendance than Jews, and were one of our biggest gatherings of the year. As for winter holidays, the more observant Jewish relatives exchanged small presents during Chanukah, but most of them weren’t terribly strict Jews and celebrated Christmas, too. The Christian relatives didn’t do presents during Chanukah, but were often part of the festivities.

I really liked the fact that our kids were brought up with the traditions of both religions, and we taught them about many other religions, too.

For me it has been an even trade. The Jewish holidays are many and heavily revered in my family so we hit them all. I was taken aback by my Jewish relatives general lack of interest in Christmas until I cooked that first Christmas dinner and served them Spiral ham and home made Swedish potato sausage….now they all can’t wait for my Christmas Eve party every year!

Christmas tends to subsume Chanukah in our family; although we do make a stab at Chanukah. Jake will get both Chanukah and Christmas gifts, but so far, Christmas reall y has the magic. Easter is not celebrated at all. Passover is pretty big and the High Holidays get recognized but not “religiously” celebrated. MY DIL’s mother – a Polish Catholic – usually calls me on Rosh HaShanah to wish me a Happy New Year. So – a mix.

My husband was raised Catholic, but we are Jewish. If he had stayed Catholic, and if I had children, I would have done what @augustlan did—everything. If I was making a a dinner or celebration at my house, and inviting the extended family, I would assume they would obviously acknowledge the holiday. The question is, if we are not taking it on ourselves to let everyone know today is blah blah, does the extended family still remember or care?

Since we don’t have children we are not usually the one throwing the party or making the dinner. Of course we could, but typically we don’t. We are usually invited somewhere. Christmas at his parents, if we are in town, is the big one. Passover at a friends house if we are invited.

But, I am still Jewish whether I pull out all of the stops or not. In fact, their son is actually Jewish now. I light some candles on Chanukah even if I don’t have a party. But, his family rarely acknowledges one of my holidays. Every so often his father does, his father was raised Jewish.

I think they probably think because I am not religious I don’t care, but it would be nice.

I think I am going to maybe do more for the holidays going forward.

@etpro I don’t know what the celebrations in the streets have to do with your mom or dad calling to wish her a Happy New Year on her New Year? But, the celebrations sound great.

In my marriage, we have one who is religious (but Asatrú, not Christian) and a secular humanist (me). But we still go see his family for Christmas, at his atheist brother’s house, where their Born Again mother gives us books about why we should believe in Jesus and vote for Mike Huckabee. Good times.

When Mr. Laureth and I exchange gifts for $winterholiday, we do it at the family Christmas.

@JLeslie Really, even the Jewish relatives didn’t call on Jewish holidays that weren’t being actively celebrated. I guess it just didn’t come up because his family is largely culturally Jewish, but not religious.

@augustlan His dad is Catholic now. Has been for 50 years.

Three-quarters on-topic thoughts from an unmarried person:

For this sort of thing, I think it’s a good idea to pry apart the different aspect of the religious memeplexes a bit.
I’m an atheist, but I’m going to celebrate Christmas anyway, even though I subscribe neither to Christian doctrine nor to any of the various pagan religions that the Catholics of yore nicked Christmas from.
The only beef I have with religions is that they say inaccurate or unreliable things (usually very loudly and persistently). But that doesn’t bear on whether or not to partake in festivities that are just fun.

I celebrate both, he just goes along.