DIANA RODRIGUEZ WALLACH

Oh, Chrismukkah! Oh, Chrismukkah! How lovely are your candles! For those who don’t know, my DH and I are rocking the interfaith marriage. He’s Jewish, I’m Catholic, and for the past 11 years, we’ve pretty much perfected the menorah/Santa hybrid holiday we call Chrismukkah. But this holiday season, we’re staying with “Those Who Will House Me ‘Til Then,” so there have been lots of inquiries as to whether we can pull off the season in temporary digs.

Now it must be said that I am a Christmas freak. I can’t help it. I was raised by a Christmas freak. My sister’s a Christmas freak, my aunt’s a freak. The seasonal sickness has a long and lengthy family history. So I am publicly admitting that there are seven large Home Depot plastic garage tubs in our basement labeled “Christmas.” We’ve got inside decorations, outside decorations, ornaments, lights, wreaths, you name it.

Add to that, two menorahs, two Chrismukkah books (Yes, they actually make these. We got them as gifts), and plenty of challah. Plus, we also go to the DH’s annual family Hanukkah party, which was this past Saturday.

So our Chrismukkah-filled weekend went something like this:

FRIDAY
– Lit candles for first night of Hanukkah with DH’s parents and grandma. Blessed the wine, blessed the challah, ate chicken, gave each other candy.
– Went to friend’s birthday party in Philly and drank a little more wine— this wine was not blessed (accept by Napa sommeliers).

SATURDAY
– Went to Home Depot, bought seven-foot Christmas tree (I like Noble firs), and plopped it in one of the cool foot petal stands.
– Went to Hanukkah party, brought fruit salad, lit candles for second night of Hanukkah, ate latkes, exchanged Pollyanna gifts (got an iTunes gift card, gave a Philosophy gift set).

SUNDAY
– Decorated Christmas tree with my husband’s Jewish family. How nice are they? They even listened to Christmas carols as they hung the Potterybarn crystal snowflakes.
– Ate sushi and latkes.
– Baked Christmas cookies. My signature cookie is the Maple Lace (they’re these lacey oatmeal cookies sandwiched with melted chocolate).
– Watched the Eagles game. They won! And they’re in first place, officially making it a Chrismukkah miracle!

POP CULTURE RANT: Eagles
How awesome was that Eagles-Giants game last night? I cheered, I panicked, I bit my nails. And to top off their win, the Cowboys lost (Thank you, San Diego!). But, I will say I was a little shocked by all the punches. I mean, what good is it throwing a punch at someone wearing a helmet and a few tons of protective pads? It’s a wasted effort that will only get you thrown from the game. Whether you’re winning or losing, don’t be a jerk about it. This isn’t hockey.

* Those are photos of my actual tree and actual Hanukkah party, slightly blurred to protect my pint-sized relatives. It is the Internet, folks.