As the holidays run on different calendars, 2005 was the last time the Chrismukkah. The next time won’t be until 2035.
BOISE, Idaho — For the first time in nearly two decades, two major holidays have to share the date.
In 2024, Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah will fall on the same day, creating an opportunity to promote unity and interfaith connection.
The two holidays have common themes of light, hope, and togetherness.
The alignment, known as Chrismukkah, was last seen in 2005 and occurs because of differences in the calendars.
Christmas is celebrated on Dec. 25 each year, based on the Gregorian calendar.
Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish holiday, is determined by the Hebrew calendar, which has lunar and solar dependencies.
The rare alignment won’t happen again until 2035.
Despite their unique traditions, Christmas and Hanukkah share meaningful similarities.
Both holidays celebrate light — candles on the menorah for Hanukkah, the glow of Christmas lights, and remembering the northern light in the sky.
“We have an opportunity for Christians and Jews to come together,” Reverend Dr. Duane Anders of Cathedral of the Rockies told KTVB on Tuesday. “We just recognize God in both spaces.”
Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz of Chabad Jewish Center in Boise mutually reflected on the deeper significance of the alignment.
“We’re all children of God, and this is a time of year when everybody’s focused on that,” he told KTVB Tuesday. “And so it certainly is a time when we can come together and celebrate who we are in a spirit of togetherness.”
For many in the Christian community, this overlap highlights a universal message of love and compassion.
“We can both appreciate the way God is expressed in each other’s religion and be present and be fully who we are without being threatened,” said Reverend Anders. “Maybe we can both be light this season for others.”
Religious leaders and families alike see this alignment as an opportunity to show the ability for all to coexist.
“You take a little bit of light and you illuminate a dark room and has a tremendous power, suddenly you can see where you’re going,” said Rabbi Lifshitz. “You can appreciate others, and so light brings people together.”
As people light menorahs and unwraps presents under a Christmas tree, this year’s holiday season offers a universal message that the season is most enjoyable when its filled with unity.
Reverend Anders said, “Remember that you don’t have to be less Christian to celebrate your friends in Hanukkah, and you don’t have to be less Jewish to celebrate Christmas.”