"The Jew tour"

Last night, Jonathan and I decided to forego the traditional Jewish December 25th Chinese and a movie. Instead, Deann and Justin invited us over to their house for Christmas dinner. We got all bundled up, drove the 40 minutes over... and stepped into a movie.

I had never been before to a house that had a real Christmas tree with golden lights, and an angel on top, and a train track all around. There were cookies on the table, since Claudia and Deann had finished baking and decorating gingerbread angels, trees, and reindeer earlier that morning (some had apparently been eaten by Santa on Christmas eve, Claudia was quick to tell us). There was a fire in the fireplace, and personalized stockings hanging on the mantle. Xander was overwhelmed. Shinies on the tree! A train going choo-choo! Flames leaping on the hearth! Oh, what should a boy look at first!

I, on the other hand, immediately went into sociology mode. I crouched down under the tree to look at its stand, and noticed it was sitting in a huge bowl of water. Very seriously, wondering how they managed to make the tree stand up straight, I asked, "so how does this thing work?" Jonathan, Deann and Justin just kind of looked at me - then buckled over laughing. Apparently it came out wrong. So for the rest of the night I got the "Jew tour" of the tree and all Christmas accoutrements.

In high school (and in Jerusalem) I'd been to Catholic midnight Mass, and really enjoyed the liturgical aspects. This was very different. It was more "secular American," the way it's pictured in every Christmas TV special. It felt like observing a slice of someone else's life. Also, as the first Christmas we've been to since Xander was born, it increased my self-confidence about how to best raise him in the larger non-Jewish environment: it was very much about "celebrating someone else's holiday" and getting a chance to talk with friends over good food and wine.

By the way, eating birthday cake for baby Jesus after Christmas dinner? Totally neat way to teach a toddler the religious, not just the materialistic, meaning of the holiday. Deann had warned us before, and I was okay with it, but it sure didn't hurt that the cake was smooth red velvet with vanilla icing. :)



Oh yes, and P.S: Xander was all over Claudia and her younger sister. He kept giving them hugs. Finally he went over to Deann and gave her a hug. And she had the best line of the night: "You thanking me for giving you two cute girls to hit on? You can't marry them both, you know!"