jewish christmas

It's no secret that Jewish families flock to Chinese restaurants during the Christmas holidays, but what is lesser known is how this tradition started more than a century ago. We talk to North Shore residents who celebrate and go back in time to when it all began.

BY SHERRY THOMAS

THE NORTH SHORE WEEKEND

There will be no stockings “hung by the chimney with care” this weekend for the Kalmans. No visions of sugar plums, reindeer sightings, or visits from St. Nick.

But there might be cookies—fortune cookies, that is—as the Glencoe family celebrates its own version of Christmas.

“We call our December 25 outings Jewish Christmas and we always have a blast,” says Marissa Kalman, who likens being Jewish on Christmas Day to summering in a college town when you have the whole place to yourself. “No crowds, no traffic. The world is our oyster ... er ... bagel!”

Illustration by Tom Bachtell