It’s always “Merry Christmas,” never “Happy Hanukkah.” Every year there’s a new Christmas movie released spreading the Christmas cheer, or people rewatching their favorite nostalgic holiday films. Whether it’s Home Alone (1990), A Christmas Story (1983), or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) there are plenty of household favorites year round. On the other hand, when it comes to Hanukkah, there are pretty slim pickings on what to watch next. I’m Catholic, I celebrate both Christmas and “Greek Christmas” and don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Christmas movies. Who doesn’t love them? What I don’t love is the lack of portrayal of other traditions during the holidays.
Junior Charlotte Mosher who celebrates Hanukkah herself and has noticed the discrepancy between the representation of Christmas versus Hanukkah in pop culture.
“The lack of representation in Hanukkah movies compared to Christmas movies is definitely noticeable. Christmas is literally everywhere in movies and TV, which can make Hanukkah feel overlooked even though it’s an important holiday for a lot of people,” said Mosher. “Obviously more people celebrate Christmas rather than Hanukkah, but it would be nice to see more variety in what holidays get shown so more people feel included. It would be nice to see a broader range of traditions and cultures shown so people can see themselves represented.”
Throughout the years, Hollywood has progressed and has made an effort to show other traditions in the industry. There are a handful of movies shining a light for Judaism. A “memorable” favorite of mine has always been Eight Crazy Nights (2002) where Adam Sandler plays the delinquent Davey Stone in this hilarious animated musical. Greatly affected by the tragic loss of his parents long ago, Davey gets through the lonesome holiday season by dragging people down to his level and committing crime to get his kicks. Like always, he pushes things too far and has to do community service which is his last chance before he risks the possibility of doing 10 years in prison.
An elderly man named Whitey Duvall offers to take Davey in to try to finally turn his life around. They have their ups and downs, but eventually Davey Stone changes for the better and encourages the other citizens of Dukesberry to do the same specifically for Whitey. Unfortunately, this movie didn’t do so well at the box office. I found it super heartwarming and I appreciated Adam Sandler attempting to make a holiday film for people who celebrate Hanukkah, but loads of critics found the humor off putting and gross (I have to agree on that note as well) or they just didn’t really feel the holiday spirit.
“As for the movies that do represent/bring up Hanukkah, I appreciate they exist, but there aren’t many. A lot of them don’t go super deep into what Hanukkah is really about. It’s usually just mentioned or used as a small part of the story,” said Mosher. “I think it would be cool to have more movies and shows that actually focus on the traditions and the meaning behind Hanukkah. It’s just as important and special as Christmas.”
Ms. Handley gives her perspective on how the lack of representation of Hanukkah influences those who celebrate the holiday.
“When you look at how overwhelmingly dominant Christmas is in movies, TV, podcasts, and advertising, the lack of Hanukkah ( and other religious holidays) representation(s) really stands out,” said Handley. “It’s not that Christmas shouldn’t be celebrated — it’s a huge cultural and religious holiday for many people — but the imbalance is so large that it ends up sending a message, even unintentionally, about whose stories matter.”
It’s a shame that you rarely see or at least hear about Hanukkah films. There’s a fairly big enough audience for them as well. However, movies that have been made about it usually flop and are pretty forgettable. I want writers to get creative again and make cool storylines regarding Hanukkah. It’s always nice to see other traditions depicted on television. But I don’t want almost every protagonist to be ashamed of their culture (we’re looking at you, Devi Vishwakumar from Never Have I Ever).
It’s completely normal to feel that way, but a lot of viewers would most likely prefer to see people embracing their culture when it’s finally being brought to light in film. For future Hanukkah celebrations to come, it would be really nice to see it more commercialized and show more appreciation towards it in film.
