It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The end of December and beginning of January mark the holiday season for most people in The United States. The majority of students at WHB celebrate either Christmas or Hanukah.

Christmas is a single day of celebration in which Santa Claus comes and delivers presents, or coal, to children as they sleep. While Hanukah, also referred to as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday that celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.

The way in which you celebrate is usually dependent upon what religion your family practices. Families who practice Christianity celebrate Christmas while families of Jewish decent celebrate Hanukah. However, for some families, it is not that easy.

Some families have one parent of Christian decent and another of Jewish decent, and when this rare and wondrous combination occurs, the children of said family, similar to Hannah Montana, live the best of both worlds during the holidays.

Hurricanes Sophie Cohen and Jordan Manowitz are two such students who celebrate the glorious holiday of Christmukah. Cohen explained, “Christmukah is a combination of Hanukah and Christmas.” “Usually you celebrate Christmukah when you have one Christian and one Jewish parent,” Manowitz stated.

The way Christmukah usually works is that children either get a larger amount of small gifts, or a smaller amount of large gifts, and these gifts, “are given out over a period of eight days,” Manowitz described.

Cohen explained that her family usually decorates the house with more Christmas decorations than Hanukah decorations, but then has a dinner for Hanukah instead of Christmas. Manowitz feels his family celebrates both holidays evenly, with their traditions not leaning more favorably to either side.

At the end of the day, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, or some combination of any of them, the holidays are a great time to reflect on what you’re grateful for and spend quality time with friends and family. It doesn’t matter whether you gather round the tree, menorah, or Christmas tree with dreidel ornaments, as long as you are with the ones you love.