Seasonal Happenings
Question
We all know that Christmas is not a Jewish holiday. But living in a majority Christian country, Christmas is unavoidable as a part of our lives in some way. Most notably, most of us have the day off from work. And I’ve noticed some Orthodox synagogues host Chinese dinners and the kosher Chinese restaurants offer Christmas Eve specials. How far are we allowed to go to enjoy this day, e.g. spending fun time with family and friends we rarely get to see?
Answers
Personally, I think that it is very out of place for a Kosher restaurant to offer specials because it is Xmas. It may not be forbidden, per se, but it is certainly not in the spirit of Judaism. And more than that, the 25th of December is a symbol of the way we have been persecuted and massacred by the Christians over the centuries. Having said that, is there anything wrong with getting together with friends on the days of Xmas since these days are public holidays and provide an opportunity to see people? No, I do not think so.
Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team