A Multifaith Gift-Giving Guide

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With so many faiths in our country these days, giving presents during the holiday season seems more and more complicated. Can you advise me what to give friends and colleagues who celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Rohatsu, Ramadan, Kwanzaa, and Yule? And when they'll "officially" be opening their presents?

As you know, America's religious landscape is more pluralistic than ever. You'll want to mind your "religious P's and Q's," not out of fear that you'll commit a mistake--most people are too gracious to mind a gaffe, especially at the holidays--but because you obviously respect other faiths and those who practice them. You can also learn about your own faith by being exposed to another denomination.

Every major holiday that occurs around this time of year has its own gift-giving idiosyncrasies:

Hanukkah: Celebrated for eight days, beginning this year on the evening of December 16th.

Traditional greeting: "Happy Hanukkah."

Most any gift is acceptable and appropriate: CDs, videos, books, clothing, toys. A Hanukkah-related gift would be especially nice. For kids, this might be a dreidel (a small spinning top that young children play with during the holiday) or a Hanukkah-related storybook.

Also consider giving a dozen doughnuts--especially jelly doughnuts--since an Israeli custom of having them for Hanukkah has caught on in the U.S. in the past decade or so. (The oil in which the doughnuts are prepared represents the scant amount of oil that the ancient Maccabees found in the Temple in Jerusalem and that burned for eight days--far longer than expected.) If your gift is wrapped in the store where you purchased it, make sure it's not wrapped in the Christmas paper so ubiquitous in December.

 

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