As the holidays and holy days of Christmas and Hanukkah converge, they also converge in families that celebrate both Christian and Jewish traditions of blended families of faith.

And the children are richer for the diverse experience of the shared traditions of each.

In this posting from 2012, The Snuggery brought to the fore Selina Alko’s picture book called “Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama. Sadie’s mom and dad have different faiths, but Sadie is the richer for the celebration of each and both.

Here is a review from Booklist:

“……Christmas trees and candles, angels and menorahs all come into play. Songs about dreidels and a Silent Night are sung. Ironically it’s Daddy Christmas who knows how to make the latkes and kugel dressing for the dressing. Then the relatives come and everyone tells stories of their own traditions. The wonderful artwork has a definite Maira Kalman look and feel. Using bits of collage for everything from the tree branches to the steam coming from the latkes, the inventive pictures not only help spring the story from the occasionally unremarkable text but they also perfectly capture the love that everyone in the mixed household shares…”

Ilene Cooper

Here’s my take on the book:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yPATVYnHpc