For Jews... what do you tell your kids when they say they are jealous of the "Christmas spirit?"?

I’m not Jewish but I am Christian and I don’t like it much either. I would tell them that there are plenty of Christians that are disgusted by what passes for “Christmas Spirit” as well. Tell her that the heart of Christmas isn’t about all that stuff anyway. It’s about a little Jewish baby, that grew up to teach the people about selflessness, compassion and giving. Retailers have taken that “giving” to extremes for their own greed and a lot of people have bought into it.
You can also tell her how Christianity differs from your faith, but I would remind her that Jesus and her worshiped the same God.

My wife and then technically m sons are Jewish, I was raised Catholic and we celebrate both sets of holidays that said….most of the Jewish people I know don’t seem bothered by it in the least. They brag how they get the movie theater and restaurants all to themselves on Christmas!

I’m an atheist, have always been one, and when I was a kid I would get gifts for Christmas. However, I was raised in Spain, in Spain they do not celebrate Christmas on the 25th of December, they do it on the 6th of January, and it’s not santa who brings the gifts, it’s the three wise men who bring them.

As a kid, I was always left out of the 6th of January celebration, because my parents had already got me a load of stuff just days ago. I was always just basically told “that’s what they do, and this is what we do, deal with it kid.” and I turned out just fine… well, except for the atheist part I guess you could argue.

That is, respectfully, nonsense. Christmas in the West, including the US, has a distinct secular componant that people all over the world, of many faiths, find attractive.
Much of what we call Christmas is a remnant of a Roman pagan winter festival, that involved partying, gift giving, revelry.
There is a place for everybody in the Western Christmas. The only place people might doubt their position was in the Christian church on Christmas eve.
I am atheist, and I even occasionally go to services on Christmas eve, because it is a social event, and some of my friends go there.

We’re atheists, our kids have no such jealous feelings. We celebrate New Years and they get presents then. My 5 year old doesn’t even know what Christmas is or why people celebrate it. He’s been going to a Russian pre-school so that has to do a lot with that. Now that he’ll be entering an American kindergarten this fall, I’m sure he’ll be hearing about the various holidays. We’ll see what happens.

I know loads of Jewish/atheist folks who get their kids gifts for Christmas. Put up the tree, the works. I don’t think that necessarily means they’re telling their kids to accept the Lord Jesus into their hearts as their Lord & savior. It has so little Jesus-related significance to most casual christians anyway. As long as it’s explained that ‘some people believe blah, but we/you believe blah and presents are cool, so here’s your Xbox’ then I don’t think there’s any harm in it. As a tradition, it needn’t be about religion if you don’t want it to be.

Just don’t get them… you know… a crucifix or whatever.

If I were Jewish, I’ll tell them Happy Hanukkah! ( then I’ll start twirling like a dreidel )

Is you daughter jealous or resentful? It’s a fine line between the two. Here is how I see it from a Jewish child’s point-of-view living in the mainstream US. Hanukkah represents a religious holiday period that brings on small gifts. There is rarely a nod to recognizing it. Christmas in the US is huge. It can mean massively expensive presents, decorations all over the place, and time off from school.

The answer to her question is that, no, not everyone is aware that Christmas is important to others, be they a member of a different faith or none at all. Unfortunately, it is often left up to the children to educate their peers on the differences, when it should be the responsibility of the parents.

Is there a possibility that you could discuss this with your daughter’s teacher? This might be a way to open up awareness. It would benefit everyone in her class and impossibly their parents.

There’s always he Hanukkah ghost.

I think there’s a difference between the “Christmas spirit” and the “holiday spirit.” Most things that are winter-related are also considered Christmas-related as well. If your daughter feels down about not having any spirit for Hanukkah, I’d point out that many of the decorations used around Christmas are just things related to the season, so there’s nothing wrong with celebrating them. Snowflakes, snowmen, candy, and even happiness are things that are around in winter!

I’m Jewish, and when I realized this as a younger kid, my winter improved and I felt more in-touch with my friends, who understood why I didn’t have Christmas tree. Being a member of an uncommon religion, it’s all about creating your own atmosphere and joy. I’d bring it up with her teacher, and maybe even ask if she could discuss Hanukkah with her class. My mom used to come in and talk about it, and everybody wished me a happy Hanukkah when it was my turn :)