Hanukkah is Christmas Lite?

As Christmas became the ALL encompassing holiday it is...there was a growing need for the Jews to be represented as well! 

Rabbis began talking up the Hanukkah Miracle...
...as a way to keep their congregations engaged! 

All in an attempt to stay relevant during the Christmas season. 

It wasn't until the early part of this century that Hanukkah was celebrated as it is now. 

Or at all ;)

"Not even the Zionists make a fuss about Chanukah," wrote a reporter for the American Jewish Chronicle in 1916.

It basically was the Arbor Day of Jewish Holidays! 

I never thought it was possible to have a more commercial Holiday than X-mas!!!!

But...

How about the Holiday pushed forward because of the commercialism of an already too commercial Holiday!?!?!

Yikes. 

Today, relevance is an interesting pursuit. How have you tried to remain relevant lately? Taking that Zumba class? Reading 50 Shades of Grey? Buying a new iPhone 5 bc everyone around you has one? 

We all do it. Just interesting to realize that even thousand year old religions do it too! 

Xoxo