I am the cheese.

It’s a lazy Sunday filled with working on holiday crafts.

let me introduce you to my little friend.

I actually will enjoy celebrating the holidays this year. Some of you maybe wondering, “Hey, aren’t you a Jew?”

Oh, god, fine. Fine, fine, fine, fine. About eight years ago, I started my conversion to Judaism which is a lot of learning about the Torah, traditions, etc. I am the only Jew in my immediate family. This is a true story. I have what I like to call an “urban family” of Jew friends, who welcomed me into their homes for celebrations and the like. But as far as being Jewish in the Johnson-Jones family, I am very much the proverbial cheese.

And yes, you CAN buy me this button.

Which is fine. I guess. My ex-husband never wanted to go temple with me. You go be a Jew, he would say.

Yeah, nice.

But yet, I would celebrate Christmas. I wouldn’t say against my will, but begrudgingly. I was married to an Atheist who loved Christmas. And that just didn’t make no damn sense. ‘Cuz they ain’t no way I was gonna celebrate a holiday celebrating the birth of the “messiah.”

And furthermore, it irritates me to no end when people say, “Yeah, but like, you’re not really Jewish.”

First of all, this isn’t a rant against Christmas. I had some fine ass Christmasses in my day. But that’s a really rude thing to say to someone who took time out of their life to get to know G-d on a personal level and who finally found a religion, a calling. Sure, my mom isn’t Jewish. To be honest, I don’t really know what her beliefs are – because that’s her business. Just because I converted and had a Tvilah and wasn’t born a Jew does not make me any less of a Jew. So check your “Christian” privilege. 

Also, I live in Southwest Missouri. As you can imagine, our Jewish population isn’t large.

Where was I?

Oh, yes.

The holiday.

I LOVE giving presents. I LOVE making presents. And this year is a little different because I am spending the holiday with someone I absolutely, positively love and it’s not being forced on me. The holidays, to me, are about spending time with the people you love and whom love you (FOR YOU) in return.

After my divorce, I embraced my religion even more and I took comfort in it. I have a long and complicated relationship with G-d, but that is my own and it’s private and I don’t appreciate my beliefs and feelings being minimized by those who don’t understand. I think it’s important to realize (not just around the holidays) that people do have different beliefs. Some people don’t believe in religion at all - and that’s fine. But that doesn’t meant that they should be excluded or labeled.

This is not me.

This MIGHT be me.

But I don’t have to be the cheese anymore!!

the awesome hanukkah candy canes by friend Melanie gave me. YOU ROCK!

(addendum: my friend ‘Lissa did gift me once with bazooka joe gum from archie mcphee in which the comics were in hebrew. fuck. yeah.)

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