Billy Joel? Let's trade him!

December 14

A Christmas wreath is bright and cheery even when the weather's dreary.

Atom and His Package: What WE Do on Christmas
Chris Isaak: Dreidel, Dreidel (Live)

Here are a few Hannukkah-related songs that don't involve Adam Sandler. They are, however, novelties. Christmas is the only time of the year that novelty songs or parodies are especially welcome (do you HEAR me, Weird Al?).

"What WE Do on Christmas" is about the one day of the year that Jews can congregate to plan their world-domination conspiracies: Christmas! Did you know that Jews killed Princess Diana? I did. I knew it all along.

Chris Isaak's "Dreidel, Dreidel" is the traditional song, but it's performed in the styles of classic country musicians such as Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.

Merry Jew-Mas

Last year, I embarrassed myself a little bit around a family friend. As many of you know, I tend to make smart-assed comments when I have nothing else to say. I was at church last Christmas Eve, and I made a snide comment about celebrating Hannukkah in front of an acquaintance, not thinking that it could in any way be offensive. Only seconds later did I remember that she had married a young Jewish man several years prior, and had since converted. I bit my tongue and slid away from that conversation at the next possible gap.