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Like Temple, Lou, Murph, others, I too have my own memories of Christmas in uniform. My recollections go back to a time close to when Lou was a captain aboard a carrier in the Indian Ocean. I was a Marine corporal on Okinawa, sitting on my rack in a dingy squad bay, listening over-and-over to a cassette tape of Christmas wishes from family and friends, eating some chocolate-chip cookies Mom had made for me, looking at family pictures, and doing what all American soldiers and sailors have been doing during the month of December since 1775 – dreaming of home.

2 Maccabees 10 1 When Maccabeus and his companions, under the Lord's leadership, had recovered the temple and the city, 2 they destroyed the altars erected by the Gentiles in the marketplace and the sacred enclosures. 3 After purifying the temple, they made a new altar. Then, with fire struck from flint, they offered sacrifice for the first time in two years, burned incense, and lighted lamps. They also set out the showbread. 4 When they had done this, they prostrated themselves and begged the Lord that they might never again fall into such misfortunes, and that if they...

The pendulum swings both ways. Last year in Denver, it was Mayor John Hickenlooper proposing to replace the city's traditional "Merry Christmas" sign with one that said "Happy Holidays." The mayor wisely backed off in response to the public outcry, as did the Parade of Lights, this year, reversing its policy barring religious floats. Earlier this month, Speaker of the U.S. House Dennis Hastert, issued a directive instructing the architect of the Capitol to drop the name "Capitol Holiday Tree" - adopted in the late 1990s under the authority of no one who's now willing to admit to it -...

CBS) PASADENA, Calif. Paseo Colorado, the open-air mall in Pasadena, has become the latest battlefield in the nation's culture wars, though this time, it's Jews -- not conservative Christians -- who are crying foul. To the disappointment of local Jews, the management of Paseo Colorado is banishing an annual Hanukkah menorah display, saying religious symbols are not appropriate at the shopping center, the Pasadena Star-News reported Thursday. But Paseo will continue to feature its towering Christmas tree, which the management says is not a religious symbol, according to the newspaper. The mall has displayed the 13-foot-tall menorah for the past...

BERLIN. -- A cold dampness hovers over the streets and the skies turn bleak and dark early in the afternoon. Nevertheless, 'tis the season to be jolly. More than 50 Christmas markets celebrate the season, and none is as unusual as the one here at 14 Lindenstrasse, behind the provocative new Jewish Museum, lighted by a huge Channukah Menorah and traditional Christmas decorations celebrating an exhibition entitled "Chrismukkah." Christians and Jews gather to share a warm glass of Gluhwein, the seasonal spicy red wine, to warm the hands and lift the spirit, and to nibble a potato latke or a...

Last year’s big holiday debate was whether the Jews had ruined Christmas. This year, with erev Chanukah coinciding with Christmas Day, people have begun asking how we can save it. The Wall Street Journal reports that retailers hope an unusually late Chanukah can boost holiday sales and bail out underperforming retailers. If higher sales mean more yuletide cheer for our Christian neighbors, it’s the least we can do. Not that Bill O’Reilly and the Catholic League and a bunch of others are exactly blaming Jews when they complain that a secular, politically correct “elite” is preventing store clerks from chiming...

As memories return with time, I recall the last Chanukah in the ghetto. My brother managed to get oil for our menorah, and his face shone as he lit each wick. We were still full of hope. We felt our ordeal could not last forever. The Russians were very near, bombarding us daily, and we were dreaming of liberation and freedom. We had no festive food to celebrate the holiday with, but we were happy to be together, oblivious of our bleak and crowded conditions. Many families shared our apartment, including a group coming from a factory in Buda. Our...

MOSCOW, Russia – On December 25th, the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia will be holding several festive events in Moscow. Two of them - The 'Man of the Year' Award Ceremony and a Chanukah celebration – will be held in the city's 2,500-seat concert hall 'Rossiya'. Building on the success of these events in past years, this time tickets were sold out instantly. Last year's gala was particularly successful. That same day, on Chanukah eve, on Manezhnaya Square beside the Kremlin walls, another public ceremony will be held to mark the beginning of Chanukah – the Holiday of Light...

On the evening of December 25, when most people are surrounded by a sea of torn wrapping paper and ready to burst from eating, my holiday will just be starting, as my family and Jewish families in the neighborhood and around the world will be lighting the first Hanukkah candle. Each night, for eight nights, we add a candle, placing them in the menorah, or candle holder, from right to left. A ninth candle is used to light the others. We will say two blessings over the Hanukkah candles, one thanking God for commanding us to light the Hanukkah candles,...

L.I. Community Outraged After Menorah Is Destroyed Holbrook Chamber Of Commerce Vows To Catch Those Responsible Jennifer McLogan Reporting Save It Email It Print It (CBS) HOLBROOK Many in the Long Island community of Holbrook are stunned. In a village plaza on Main Street next to an undamaged Christmas tree and nativity scene, a Hanukkah menorah appears to have been viciously smashed. Rick Ammirati, the president of the Holbrook Chamber of Commerce, said people are outraged. He vows to rebuild and restore it. Suffolk County's bias crime task force responded immediately when shaken community leaders called describing painful memories of...

WASHINGTON - Hanukkah does not start until Dec. 25 this year but it was observed early at the White House on Tuesday evening. President Bush helped light a 38-inch gold and bronze menorah, which was loaned to the White House by the Park Synagogue of Cleveland. He said the nation is grateful to American troops of all faiths who are away from their families this holiday season. "We are grateful for our freedoms as Americans, especially the freedom to worship," he said. "We are grateful that freedom is spreading to still new regions of the world, and we pray that...

When the Catholic League got a tip from one of its members that Lands’ End refuses to use the word “Christmas” in its catalog—even though it sells Christmas items—we verified its authenticity.  Printed below is part of the reply we received from Merlin W. Gorsline in the Customer Relations Department to an inquiry we made regarding the refusal of Lands’ End to mention the word “Christmas”:  “We find ourselves in a difficult position with this issue.  As a result, we have adopted the ‘holiday’ terminology as a way to comply with one of the basic freedoms granted to all Americans:...

"We at Wal-Mart believe this e-mail between a temporary associate and one of our valued customers was entirely inappropriate. Its contents in no way represent the policies, practices or views of our company. This associate, who was hired less than three weeks ago, is no longer employed by our company."

Ah, another season of madness has passed. Our belts have been loosened- as our girth spreads and flops over our pants. The garbage can is full of politically correct wrapping paper and boxes. Bright colored ribbons bounce over the edges of our garbage cans- as the refuge containers line our neighborhood curbs- awaiting their garbage day pick-up. The refrigerators are filled with leftovers and our ovens are in desperate need of cleaning. Our closets and garages hold the over abundance of unneeded wants and desires. Smartly, we’ve scheduled our community second hand store pick-up to arrive soon, so that we...

Hanukkah, the Festival of Light Gordon Franz Miniature depicting menorah in Zechariah's vision. Cervera Bible, Spain, 1300.   As a young boy, I remember well the excitement as the Christmas season approached. There was snow on the ground, sleigh riding, Christmas trees and caroling, manger scenes and eggnog. Yet I also remember another holiday which my Jewish friends celebrated about the same time, Hanukkah In elementary school they would play with their dreidels and tell about the presents they received the previous night. I must confess my greedy jealousy. They got presents for eight nights and we only got them...

To the Jews in the United States, the period between Hanukkah and Christmas is known as the "December Dilemma." It is the dilemma faced by mixed families as well as Jews dealing with the tension between their Jewish identity and the general American identity in a predominantly Christian society. This year, more so than ever, the dilemma has also found widespread expression in the general media, as well as reflecting the changes taking place in American society in the wake of George Bush's victory. The public discourse on religious symbols in American society has taken on special significance following an...

Susan Rosenbluth and fellow Orthodox Jews yesterday came to Maplewood, N.J., to join a crowd of more than 100 carolers in singing Christmas and Hanukkah songs in front of Columbia High School.     Holiday hymns were sung in response to school policies that Steve Lonegan — the Republican mayor of nearby Bogota, N.J., who organized the event — called "intolerance" toward traditional religious beliefs. [snip] "The greatest works of art in Western civilization are inspired by religious — predominantly Christian — convictions," said Mrs. Rosenbluth, editor of Jewish Voice and Opinion, an Englewood-based monthly.     "We are religious Jews who believe...

I am looking at the front page, top center story in the Sacramento Bee for Friday, December 3, 2004, the gist of which is that a Christmas tree was erected in the rotunda of the Federal courthouse in Sacramento. Soon after, an attorney donated a Menorah to the display to commemorate Hanukkah, which almost immediately aroused a controversy, as a result of which both the Menorah and the Christmas tree were removed, which aroused another controversy, whereupon the Menorah and the Christmas tree were restored to the rotunda, and ever since a debate has raged whether it is permissible to...

One December a few years back, I was in Santa Claus, Indiana, and went to the Post Office - a popular destination thanks to its seasonal postmark. "Merry Christmas!" I said provocatively. But Postmistress Sandy Colyon was ready for me. "A week ago," she said, "I'd have had to say 'Happy Holidays', but we've been given a special dispensation from the Postmaster-General allowing us to say 'Merry Christmas'. So Merry Christmas!" That's "Christmas" at the dawn of the third millennium - a word you have to get a special memo from head office authorising the use thereof. In America, most...

While Chanukah and Christmas are two very different holidays, this year they both had something in common. Some people tried to take them away from us! This is one of those years when G-d played a cruel trick on us. Chanukah was over before Christmas arrives. For us as Jews, things just seem to be easier and work out better when these two holidays come out at the same time. Children in our religious school can be told they have no classes during the last week of December because it's Chanukah. We are singing when the rest of America is...