Every year at the end of Thanksgiving, I say my goodbyes to my family members, and the moment the door closes behind the last guest, I connect my phone to a speaker and play Christmas music. Classic tunes surround my family as we begin cleaning up and getting ready for the next phase of the holiday season: Chrismukkah.

While it might not seem obvious, listening to Christmas music is actually a very Jewish pastime because most of the creative minds behind popular holiday hits are Jews. 

For as long as I can remember, my family has celebrated both Chanukah and Christmas. Experiencing both holidays has given me perspective on how commercialization has impacted both holidays, especially regarding music.

With the exception of Adam Sandler’s “The Chanukah Song” and the classic “I Have a Little Dreidel” song (and certainly other minor iconic pieces that are too niche to mention), Chanukah doesn’t have a lot going on for it in the music department. 

Christmas, on the other hand, is a whole other story. At this point, there is probably Christmas music for most genres of music, meaning that there is something for everybody. Behind many of the most popular and iconic songs, though, is likely a Jewish writer or co-writer. 

While the list of Jewish composers of Christmas music is long, some top names that are worth mentioning are Irving Berlin (famous for “White Christmas), Mel Torme (famous for “Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire”) and Johnny Marks (famous for “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” and “Silver and Gold”). Just this list of songs is enough to shock anyone, but even this is a quite limited representation of the full impact of Jewish composers.  

Through the lens of a Jewish composer, these songs take on new meanings entirely. Robert L. May is a Jewish man who created the Rudolph story (that Marks later adapted into a song) based on his childhood experiences of being bullied for being “different.” In particular, his prominent nose drew the attention of bullies, leading to antisemetic name-calling (his bullies were perpetuating the stereotype of the “Jewish nose”). Hence, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer tells the story of a reindeer who also gets bullied for his nose and learns to accept himself for his differences, just like May.  

Why, though, have these prominent Jewish composers written Christmas hits instead of ones about Chanukah? There are a couple of theories. Michael Feinstein (an Emmy-winning archivist and musician known as the “Ambassador of the Great American Songbook”) notes that, in the early 20th century, the music industry was one of the only industries that Jews could be a part of without facing antisemitism. 

In particular, writing Christian songs was a way for Jews to assimilate into the Christian-centric culture of the United States. This could explain why many of these Christmas hits don’t mention the religious themes of Christmas, but rather, cozying up by a fire, sleigh bells, and spending time with loved ones. Jewish composers wrote Christmas music to assimilate, but they did so on their own terms, and most people don’t even realize that was the case. 

After realizing just how much Jewish culture is infused into Christmas music, I have come to not be as upset about the lack of commercialization of Chanukah music in comparison to Christmas music. Instead, I listen to Christmas music and I am filled with pride in my Jewish heritage.

To me, Christmas music represents Jewish immigrants and their descendants making a name for themselves despite setbacks in most industries. And not only that, many people tune back in year after year.

This hidden, yet sizable impact on culture and society is a common thread in the Jewish story. It almost makes me think that the best way to describe the Jewish experience might be through Christmas music. Afterall, what’s more Jewish than turning a setback into such a success, that it becomes iconic and memorialized? 

I think it’s safe to say that there’s nothing more Jewish than Christmas music.