# When will Hanukkah and Christmas next coincide?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-hanukkah-and-christmas-next-coincide/768565>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 14, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-hanukkah-and-christmas-next-coincide/768565 "2016-10-14T22:51:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-hanukkah-and-christmas-next-coincide/768565/21 "2016-10-18T14:55:55Z")

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> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> This thing about the one-gift-per… How prevalent was that? Every gentile kid would then say “you’re so lucky,” or something like that.
> 
> I think I found the root for the Oldest Hatred.

One gift per is the age old tradition, it’s just largely changed from some coins to actual presents. I got the “you’re so lucky” thing too but most kids who celebrate xmas get around eight gifts too, I imagine. Of the eight gifts that I got, one or two would be big ones and the rest little things like one would get in a stocking.

My step-dad isn’t Jewish so when he came into the picture, when I was nine years old or so, we celebrated both. I righteously HATED celebrating xmas. It mortified me but I was forced to do so. I would have been fine sitting quietly while the others took part but I was made to decorate the tree, hang a sock over the fire place and take the gifts.

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**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-hanukkah-and-christmas-next-coincide/768565/22 "2016-10-18T16:14:31Z")

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> [@RivkahChaya](#):
>
> BTW, what does it matter whether Hanukkah and Christmas coincide?

Well, the question came up because a co-worker usually takes a vacation day for the first day of Hanukkah, but since Christmas is a company holiday, this year it’s as if he has an extra vacation day to use for something else. This has never happened before in his lifetime, and he was wondering when it would happen again.

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**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-hanukkah-and-christmas-next-coincide/768565/23 "2016-10-18T19:23:26Z")

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Of those “one per day” gifts, it’s a sure thing there will be a pair of pajamas and a bathrobe for 2 of them. And a sweater and/or dress shirt w/tie might work its way in there too.

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**Author:** ![Cartoonacy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/848f3c/32.png) [@Cartoonacy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartoonacy)\
**Post date:** [October 18, 2016, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-hanukkah-and-christmas-next-coincide/768565/24 "2016-10-18T21:36:27Z")

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> [@Cartoonacy](#):
>
> Well, the question came up because a co-worker usually takes a vacation day for the first day of Hanukkah, but since Christmas is a company holiday, this year it’s as if he has an extra vacation day to use for something else. This has never happened before in his lifetime, and he was wondering when it would happen again.

Though I just noticed that Christmas is on a Sunday this year, so it kind of nullifies that.

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