Should Jewish parents let their kids watch Christmas television specials? Maybe, writes Slate senior editor Dahlia Lithwick in a column yesterday. On the one hand, “one needn’t be virulently anti-Christmas to experience the seasonal anxiety felt by parents who want their children to enjoy the winter holidays while avoiding religious indoctrination,” she contends. And characters like the Grinch are stand-ins for “grumpy old Jews,” Lithwick writes, akin to dragging kids “to see The Merchant of Venice.” On the other, Jewish parents find all kinds of rationalizations to allow their offspring to tune into “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and “The Year Without a Santa Claus.”

“Ask them why these movies pass muster and prepare for whomping exhibitions of illogic as only the People of the Book can practice it,” Lithwick writes. After sending out e-mails to friends about their Yuletide viewing regulations, the columnist learns “that there exists an unspoken ‘no Jesus’ rule, a ‘no Santa’ rule [thus no “Rudolph”], a ‘no saints’ rule [thus no “Night Before Christmas”], a ‘no resurrections’ rule [even if it’s resurrection by proxy; thus no “Frosty”], and also a ‘no bad music’ rule [thus no “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse Christmas Special”].” Regardless, all Jewish children are apparently allowed to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Lithwick observes, rendering all of the viewing regulations irrelevant.

So what should Lithwick tell her own toddlers about “the sudden appearance of Santa in their lives?” The question remains unanswered. But as Lithwick learns after screening “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” maybe there aren’t such big differences between us and them anyway. As she puts it: “Rudolph’s immortal words to Hermey the Misfit Elf may be said to poignantly encapsulate 5,000 years of Jewish aspiration: ‘Goodbye, Hermey. Whatever a dentist is, I hope someday you will be the greatest!’”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount