Tis the season to be… inundated with religious debate.  I’d like to lighten things up a bit and focus on how the Holidays can be Holy days for everyone, regardless of your particular beliefs.  As someone who is Jewish that married someone who is not, my kids were raised with exposure to both the Jewish and Catholic religions, and I personally learned a great deal and found it interesting and enlightening to “see how the other half lived” and participate in cultural and religious traditions and ceremonies that had not been a part of my own upbringing.  None of it changed or diminished my own personal beliefs, which are my own personal beliefs.  I hope that my kids have also benefited from a broader understanding and knowledge, and trust they will come to (or already have) their own personal beliefs and make whatever choices they believe works for them, with my love and support.

COMMERCIALISM vs. COMMUNITY

There is no question that the “Holiday Season” has been over commercialized, and it is increasingly difficult for us parents to veer the kids’ focus away from the notion of daily presents during the eight days of Hanukkah, or a pile of glittering gifts under the Christmas tree (and even worse when my kids were young – BOTH.)  All that is fine and good, as long as we don’t lose sight of the real value of the Holiday Season that has nothing to do with religion.  I used to be more of a “bah humbug” kinda guy, but as I have gotten older (and perhaps wiser) I am recognizing that the greatest part of the Holidays is that from Thanksgiving through the end of the year we are encouraged to think more about our community, charity, and helping others.  We are encouraged to smile more at strangers, to be more helpful and considerate, to wish everyone a “Happy Holidays.”  That is a good thing, and something we should not limit to the last 40 days of the year…

DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY

So this year, as we all tighten our collective belts and perhaps think twice about that big gift we might have considered in previous years, let’s put extra focus on the community part and make the Holidays count by going out of our way to be helpful, caring and considerate to everyone we encounter.  If we help our kids to do that too, they will be getting a present that will last far longer than the Holiday season.

And of course, from my point of view, no Holiday Season would be complete without Adam Sandler’s classic “HANUKKAH SONG.”

Happy Holidays!

Jeff Sass is the proud dad of ZEO (Zach, 20, Ethan, 18 and Olivia, 17).  He is also a seasoned entertainment and technology exec and active social media enthusiast.  You can see more of Jeff’s writing at Sassholes! and Social Networking Rehab.

Photo Credit: © David Pruter – Fotolia.com