I want to set the record straight. if Hanukkah is the "Jewish Christmas," then Christmas is the Christian Saturnalia. Many people insist that Hanukkah is played up as a Jewish version of Christmas, but it's worth noting that neither Hanukkah nor Christmas are particularly holy days in either faith. Christmas is on December 25 because the early Christians wanted to co-opt the feast of the Roman god Saturn, held between December 17 and 23, and celebrated with food, drink, and gambling. By turning the anniversary of the Nativity into a celebration, it was a good way to get pagans to convert to Christianity. But it's not the holiest day in the Christian calendar - that would be Easter Sunday, the anniversary of the Resurrection - which is the essence of and the reason for the faith. So, Christmas is technically a played-up Saturnalia.
So when you hear evangelical politicians in Washington complain about being forced to work through "the holiest day of Christianity" when they have to work on Christmas Day, don't listen to them. As Christians, they don't know what they're talking about.
As for Hanukkah, Christmas, and Saturnalia happening (or in the case of Saturnalia, having happened) simultaneously, that's no accident. They're all festivals that take advantage of the onset of winter and give people a chance to make merry before the worst of the season sets in. That's a custom pre-dating all of Western civilization. Winter solstice rituals, anyone?
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