Sending Christmas cards to Jewish friends?

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catherine126

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What are your thoughts on the the tradition of Christmas cards? I love sending them and receiving them.

I think it’s appropriate to send Christian religious cards to non-practicing Christians as a gentle “reminder,” if you would, of what (or rather, Whom) we are celebrating.

I would love to send a Christmas card to an old friend - she’s a practicing Jew…(and she puts up a blue “holiday tree.”) For that reason, I wouldn’t want to send a card that refers to Christ as our Lord, for that would imply a togetherness that she doesn’t share with us.

One of the cards I have has the three wise men on the front, and on the inside it says “May this holy season bring the gift of happiness to you and yours.” I could even write happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, *and * happy New Year on the inside.

What do you think? I want to express our faith while also being respectful of what she believes.
 
catherine126 said:
I would love to send a Christmas card to an old friend - she’s a practicing Jew…(and she puts up a blue “holiday tree.”) For that reason, I wouldn’t want to send a card that refers to Christ as our Lord, for that would imply a togetherness that she doesn’t share with us.

One of the cards I have has the three wise men on the front, and on the inside it says “May this holy season bring the gift of happiness to you and yours.” I could even write happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, *and * happy New Year on the inside.

What do you think? I want to express our faith while also being respectful of what she believes.
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Oh my days…a blue “holiday” tree?

I think it’s most prudent if you just give her a Hannukah card, unless you can’t find or make one, in which case (I shudder) a generic “Happy Holidays” card or a (I shudder again) “Season’s Greetings” card. Give her the Christmas card, only if you know she wouldn’t mind it.
 
Why would you want to send her a Christmas card if you know they don’t celebrate Christmas? 🤷 That’s like wanting to invite your Jehovah’s Witness friend over to your birthday party.
 
followingtheway said:
Why would you want to send her a Christmas card if you know they don’t celebrate Christmas? 🤷
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I am Jewish (and atheist) and I like getting cards. Well I also celebrate Christmas though. 🙂
Bezant said:
I think it’s most prudent if you just give her a Hannukah card, unless you can’t find or make one, in which case (I shudder) a generic “Happy Holidays” card or a (I shudder again) “Season’s Greetings” card. Give her the Christmas card, only if you know she wouldn’t mind it.
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Nothing wrong with a Happy Holidays card IMO. I get in the holiday spirit, (I’m listening to Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas II You right now actually) so Happy Holidays is a very appropriate one and Seasons Greetings is too.

If your aim is just so say hi to an old friend, I would suggest a card with like snow men or candy canes or snowflakes and that sort of thing rather than one with religious imagery. But the one with the wisemen doesn’t sound bad either if you really want there to be a religious slant.

When I get a very religious one I think, oh that’s nice and it goes in the trash. But if I get one with glittery snowflakes or something like that, I display it on the window sill! The card that you described sounds good enough for a window sill too bc the message is neutral enough.
 
followingtheway said:
Why would you want to send her a Christmas card if you know they don’t celebrate Christmas?
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Just to twist the knife, so to speak… http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v313/ponyguy/evil0000.gif

Most Jewish people I know love Christmas time… that’s when their businesses make the most money… Any ol’ reason to party…

My Cardiologist is Jewish; when I first met her (she’s a female physician), she introduced herself, and told me to “Just call me Mary”…
I said okay, “Hi, Mary… or maybe Hail, Mary” (trying to be a little giddy) and then she said: “Oh, no, I’m Jewish.”

I replied, “Well, wasn’t that other Mary also Jewish?” ( 😃 )

She said “You got me.”

Who said that Santa doesn’t wear a yarmulke under his red fuzzy hat, anyway?
 
I have two “sets” of Christmas cards – many religious and many Christmasy but not religious. I pretty much send them depending on their religion or lack thereof. I think the important thing is that I keep in touch with many long-time friends/relatives that I don’t always see or hear from, but do keep in touch with at Christmas time.
 
samiam1611 said:
Nothing wrong with a Happy Holidays card IMO. I get in the holiday spirit, (I’m listening to Mariah Carey’s Merry Christmas II You right now actually) so Happy Holidays is a very appropriate one and Seasons Greetings is too.
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That’s fine, but I dislike lumping the holidays together if you know the holidays one celebrates.
 
catherine126 said:
What are your thoughts on the the tradition of Christmas cards? I love sending them and receiving them.

I think it’s appropriate to send Christian religious cards to non-practicing Christians as a gentle “reminder,” if you would, of what (or rather, Whom) we are celebrating.

I would love to send a Christmas card to an old friend - she’s a practicing Jew…(and she puts up a blue “holiday tree.”) For that reason, I wouldn’t want to send a card that refers to Christ as our Lord, for that would imply a togetherness that she doesn’t share with us.

One of the cards I have has the three wise men on the front, and on the inside it says “May this holy season bring the gift of happiness to you and yours.” I could even write happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, *and * happy New Year on the inside.

What do you think? I want to express our faith while also being respectful of what she believes.
Click to expand...
I would not send anything Christian to a Jew. Some Jewish people get really angry when Christians try to convert them. The wise men (there weren’t nec. 3 of them) were traveling to pay homage to Jesus, who is merely a rabbi to Jews. Therefore, that is too Christian. Why would you wish a Jew “Merry Christ-Mass?” Seems a little odd to me. Why not just a Happy Hanukkah card? There are plenty of them in the stores now.
 
I think it is rude to send an overtly religious card to someone if you don’t already know how they would react to it, but have reason to think they might be offended. I would be offended if somebody sent me a Hannukah or Kwanza card, knowing full well I am Christian, but I would assume they simply sent them to everyone on their contact list and did not intend to offend.

There are plenty of cards that express general sentiments of the holy day, like peace, family, joy etc. None of that stops you from praying for each person as you prepare their card.
 
I have several ties to the Jewish community and… I would just ask! Many non-Christians do enjoy getting holiday cards and don’t want to be left out. I would simply ask something like, “Hey, I know you don’t celebrate Christmas but we’re friends and I don’t want to leave you out or not acknowledge you during this wonderful season. May I put you on my Christmas card list?”

That’s all it takes. 🙂
 
I have friends who send me ‘Season’s Greetings’ kinds of cards - snowmen, robins, kittens in the snow etc and I send them similar cards in return. If they were to send me religious-oriented cards, they wouldn’t be my friends.

I’ve never seen any reason to be ‘dog in the manger’ (:p) about Christmas, it’s nice to see people happy and it’s churlish to refuse a glass of wine with them or whatever.
 
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