By BRIDGETTE NORRIS
With a decorated Christmas tree in the living room and a menorah on the counter, senior Leah Bisbee’s family embraces both Christmas and Hanukkah.
“We always gather with our interfaith friends and celebrate both holidays. My mom and I always make latkes, potato pancakes, and we light the menorah together. Every year on Christmas Eve, my family and I watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas with Jim Carey,” Bisbee said.
From a young age, Bisbee’s parents provided her with knowledge of Judaism and Christianity, along with the holidays that come with them.
With her family split between the two religions, her dad’s Christian family and her mother’s Jewish family, Bisbee made an educated decision to follow Judaism and had a Bat Mitzvah to celebrate.
“Here in Orlando, I am definitely a minority when it comes to being raised in an interfaith home. However, the majority of Jews that I know in other parts of the United States have been raised the same way as me. It is what I know and therefore it doesn’t feel unusual,” Bisbee said.
Although Bisbee has chosen Judaism and enjoys celebrating Hanukkah, she states she enjoys celebrating Christmas more.
“My brother and I usually get almost all of our presents on Christmas and maybe something small on Hanukkah. I have lost count for the amount of times that people have asked me, do you get double the amount of presents? I definitely do not. The best thing about celebrating both is that I get to be a part of so many traditions and so much history,” Bisbee said.
In the Bisbee household, the emphasis is greater on Christmas rather than Hanukkah. She states she enjoys the decorations that come along with the holiday, like the tree and music, and Christmas has no effect on her religion.
“Christmas has always been really big in our household. My parents never really made Christmas about the religious aspect of it. It was more about spending time with each other and the festivities that go along with it. With that being said celebrating Christmas has no impact on my connection to Judaism,” Bisbee said.