The New York Times published an article this week that explores the nitty-gritty of interfaith family life in December – including attempts by parents of one faith to win their children over to their holidays. Like Amy Manata, a Jewish mother who gave her children all the best presents for Hanukkah in hopes that they would prefer that holiday to Christmas, which they celebrate because Amy’s husband Frank is Catholic.

“Hanukkah was sort of getting lost, and I felt like I couldn’t compete,” Manata told the paper.
The winter holidays are go-time for many interfaith families. “You get this kind of difficult blend of family-of-origin issues as well as religious and cultural issues all at the same time,” said Karen Erlichman, a licensed clinical social worker in San Francisco who specializes in counseling interfaith couples. “They kind of sweep it under the rug for 10 months of the year, and Thanksgiving comes and it’s like, ‘Uh-oh, here we go.’”
To read the whole article, click here.