The holidays are coming up, and so are many traditions. Every family has their own, whether that is decorating the Christmas tree or lighting the Hanukkah menorah candles. However, one thing that every holiday celebration has in common is food. Some people look forward to baking cookies or having grandma’s homemade pumpkin pie for Christmas, while others are excited about potato latkes and dreidel cake during Hanukkah. Certain families have traditions for their festive dinners, whereas others have something different every year. Nevertheless, the dinner table is never empty during the holidays.
Some families like sticking to the same Christmas meal every year, while others like switching it up. The traditional dinner has dishes we see on the Thanksgiving table as well, including turkey, mashed or roasted potatoes, and gravy. Although few people make as much out of the dinner on Christmas as they do on Thanksgiving. “We don’t go all out for Christmas dinner,” said Jasmine Duckworth (10). However, the family does have a tradition of eating ham every year. For Lola Lezcano (10), it is different from year to year. “Some years we do lobster or crab; other years we do ham, and this year we’re having Chinese food,” said Lezcano. “We don’t have anything special made for Christmas,” said Kaliya Ikei (9). She usually spends her Christmas evening going out to a restaurant for dinner with the family. Unlike New Year’s Eve, which is when the family has a tradition of eating noodles for dinner. “On New Year’s my mom likes to make longevity noodles because it’s meant to lengthen your lifespan,” said Ikei.
When it comes to dessert, there are a few holiday traditions to be found amongst the students. Duckworth said that her grandma usually makes pudding, and that hot cocoa is a staple throughout the whole month of December. “My sister made cranberries with powdered sugar for Christmas,” said Ikei, who got to try a new sweet treat this holiday season. Baking cookies is also a popular holiday activity that Lezcano does once in a while, although breakfast is the main sweet meal of the day for the family. “We always have cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning,” Lezcano explains.
While Christmas is the most common holiday to celebrate for both religious and non-religious families, Hanukkah is an eight-day-long festival celebrated in the religion of Judaism. It is a celebration consisting of family and friends, art, lights, and lots of food. “My favorite Hanukkah dish is potato latkes. Not only is it traditional in many houses, but a blast to make with loved ones,” said Maya Silberstein (12). Latkes, which are fancy hash browns, are the food logo for Hanukkah, and it wouldn’t be a real celebration without them. Latkes are typically served with horseradish or applesauce as a topping, although Silberstein likes to have ketchup with them as well. They are one of many greasy foods that are traditional for the Hanukkah celebration, because the festival itself is to honor the oil that kept the menorah burning for eight days instead of the expected few hours.
Other traditional foods include kugel (potato casserole) and sufganiyot (jelly donuts), although Silberstein is not a big fan of them. However, a dish that has recently become a staple in traditional Hanukkah dinners, matzah ball soup, and applesauce are some of Silberstein’s favorite sides. “They are good cleansing lightweight side dishes to balance the greasy food,” she said. Additionally, preparing the food together with family is a wonderful opportunity to bond over great conversations and appreciate the history behind each dish. “Making food for others, showing hospitality, is a trait I hold dear to my heart and love sharing with,” Silberstein said. All in all, enjoying amazing food with family and friends is an important part of the Hanukkah celebration.
Holiday foods vary from different families and various religions. Some people like sticking to traditions and enjoy the same dishes every Christmas; others like mixing it up every year, and some choose to go out for their Christmas dinner. The Jewish festival, Hanukkah, includes a broad variety of traditional dishes, including the essential potato pancakes called latkes. Both holidays are for celebration with family and friends while enjoying the endless array of different and unique foods. Whatever you are celebrating, happy holidays!