By Isabel Tabs ’17

Breaking news: Hanukkah Harry and Santa Claus decided to team up this holiday season going from door to door and chimney to chimney delivering gifts for all of the children. With these with two prodigal holiday heroes, the spirit of “Christmas” break can be celebrated by all.
Jewish people do have a “Jewish Santa” and they do get to decorate a “Hanukkah bush,” their version of a Christmas tree. But, this holiday season we can deck the halls and eat matzo balls to celebrate Harry and Santa’s coexistence.
An unfamiliar face to most, Hanukkah Harry resides in Israel remaining on the top of Mount Sinai, where he goes for an occasional dip in the Dead Sea. Hanukkah Harry made his first public appearance on Dec. 16, 1989 as a guest host on “Saturday Night Live.” Ever since then, he has become a global phenomenon, allowing all the Jewish kids to have have a holiday hero that equals that of their Christian friends.
Obviously Christmas has been considered the more predominant December holiday. In elementary school we had Christmas parties. We have off on Christmas Eve and
Christmas every school year and it’s a federal holiday. But times have changed. The Jewish population in America has been progressively rising and it now stands at a whopping 1.6 percent.
With the help of his Maccabees, Abraham and Yakoob, Hanukkah Harry is able to efficiently travel to those many Jewish kids and fill up on the gelt and grape juice that families leave.
However, this year Hanukkah Eve and Christmas Eve fall on the same day. People better not shout or cry because Hanukkah Harry and Santa Claus are both in town. The domination of Harry in Jewish pop culture has emerged as a brand name to amplify the celebration of the festival of lights.
Continuing on with a long Jewish tradition is the Mensch on a Bench. Moshe looks over all of the kids in a house to assure they are behaving; For their food behavior Moshe will give them a present. Similarly the Elf on a Shelf is one of the Christmas spirit exhibiting similar duties at Moshe. The Mensch on a Bench is Hanukkah’s answer to the Elf on a Shelf.
So whoever said Hanukkah is inferior to Christmas, well think again. Maybe this year’s SantaCon will spread the love and men in orthodox beards will appear in blue velvet suits.