This year, Dec. 25 marks an extra special occasion: the rare event when Christmas Day aligns with the start of Hanukkah!
Since the two holidays donât fall on the same date very often (in fact, itâs only the fifth time theyâve aligned in the past 114 years), this yearâs festivities will be particularly memorable for a number of families that celebrate both events â including several celebrities!
The celebration of Christmas and Hanukkah â coined âChrismukkahâ by Seth Cohen (Adam Brody) on the popular teen drama The O.C. in 2003 â is observed by stars like Lance Bass, Eugene Levy and more, who have their own special traditions with their religiously blended families,
From musicians to actors to athletes, here are some celebrities who trim the tree and light a menorah during the holiday season.
Pink and Carey Hart
Pink and former pro motorcycle racer Carey Hart, who wed in 2006, have raised daughter Willow Sage and son Jameson Moon to celebrate traditions of both Pinkâs Jewish background and Hartâs Christian roots.
On the first night of the holiday in December 2023, the âSo Whatâ singer shared a photo of her menorah on Instagram and a video showing her lighting candles and praying with her family.
âHappy Chanukah to all those who celebrate,â she captioned the post. âMay there be light in darkness always. May there be peace in our hearts, our homes, and in the world.â
The Grammy-winning recording artist previously posted images of her Christmas tree and Hanukkah menorah from her family celebrating both holidays in 2019. Two years later, the mom of two shared a video of her and Willow singing Hanukkah blessings together.
Michael Turchin and Lance Bass
*NSYNC alum Lance Bass and his husband, Michael Turchin, are all-in on Chrismukkah. For the festive occasion, the parents of twins Violet Betty and Alexander James have a creative way of honoring Turchinâs Jewish heritage.
âThe great thing about my husband is he knows how much of a Christmas freak I am and he lets me do whatever I want, which is very nice,â Bass told Decider in 2019. âI throw in some Jewish things throughout the Christmas decorations too, we do Chrismukkah here, so youâre gonna see menorahs and all that type of stuff all over the place.â
And while Bass enjoys decking the halls at Christmastime, the singer admitted he can go over the top. âWe do have a rule: From November 1st to Christmas I can get one new decoration a week,â he explained. âBecause wherever I go, I always find something like, âOh my God, I need that! Oh my God, I need that!â But Iâm allowed to get just one decoration a week up until Christmas.â
Deborah Divine and Eugene Levy
Similar to his and Catherine OâHaraâs charactersâ interfaith celebration on Schittâs Creek, Eugene Levy (who is Jewish) and his wife, Deborah Divine (who is Christian), also celebrate both holidays in real life.
In December 2012, Levyâs son and costar, Dan Levy, joked about the duality in a since-deleted tweet on Twitter (now X). Per Hey Alma, the Good Grief writer/director/actor wrote: âOne half of me is celebrating Hanukkah, the other half is decorating a tree. My body is confused. #halfie #chrismukkah.â
Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis
The former That â70s Show costars and real-life couple celebrate both holidays with kids Wyatt Isabelle and Dimitri Portwood. Mila Kunis has stated that while she was raised Jewish and Ashton Kutcher was raised Christian, she began celebrating Christmas when she moved to America.
âComing to America is when you realize Christmas has a magical quality to it,â the Luckiest Girl Alive actress shared with Entertainment Tonight in 2017. âIn Russia, back in the day, it was a very religious holiday, so you donât celebrate Christmas if youâre not Christian and if youâre not at Mass. So I, being Jewish, was like, âChristmas is not for you.â â
After moving here, her family felt like the holiday was more inclusive, with Kunis revealing they âliterally bought a Christmas tree.â
âSo, as far as tradition goes, my familyâs big on any excuse to get the family together and get drunk,â she added.
Steven Greener and Tamron Hall
Since tying the knot and welcoming son Moses in 2019, Tamron Hall told PEOPLE that she and Steven Greener are raising their little one to embrace the traditions of both of their heritages.
âHeâs Jewish, so we had a bris here at the house,â Hall said of the Jewish ceremony of circumcision for their son.
The talk-show host continued, âMy mom nearly passed out. We had both grandparents on each side there, and heâs going to Texas to have a Christening or a Confirmation at my momâs Southern Baptist church. Weâve just combined our life experience, and we want to teach him tradition.â
In 2021, Hall also shared how the coupleâs interfaith bond inspired their sonâs name.
âWeâd already decided on his name early on â my husband is Jewish, Iâm Christian and Moses was the only prophet recognized by all seven religions,â she shared on PEOPLEâs Me Becoming Mom podcast. âI could not imagine any other name, although we did bat around Bob, in honor of Bob Marley.â
Casey Wilson and David Caspe
Actress Casey Wilson and David Caspe, who married in 2014, observe Christmas and Hanukkah with their sons Max Red and Henry Bear and daughter Frances Rose.
Back in 2014, the Happy Endings actress, who was raised Baptist, gave PEOPLE an exclusive look at her evergreen for Christmas. âMy dad helped me with my Christmas tree while I was at work,â Wilson said at the time. âI couldnât really do anything for it this year. [My husband] is Jewish, so weâre experimenting with a hybrid of the two holidays.â
Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky
Author and advocate Chelsea Clinton, who was raised Methodist, wed Marc Mezvinsky, who is Jewish, in 2010. While Clinton didnât convert, she has documented the pair celebrating Hanukkah over the years with their kids Charlotte, Aidan and Jasper.
âGetting ready to light our menorah and sending peace and light (and health) from our family to yours,â she captioned a photo of their menorah on X in December 2020.
Leslie Odom Jr. and Nicolette Robinson
Traditions are important to Leslie Odom Jr. and Nicolette Robinson. They shared as much in 2023 when publishing their first picture book, I Love You More Than Youâll Ever Know.
When it came to writing the book, the parents told PEOPLE they were inspired by their âsacredâ family nighttime ritual, where they âdo bath-time, jammies, we read together and then we sing together.â
Celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah has been an essential tradition for Robinson, who grew up with a Jewish mother and a Christian father. Her parents instilled in her the importance of understanding her background, something the couple is passing along to their children.
Robinson previously told Nordstrom: âItâs been a beautiful thing that I want to continue because being Jewish is also a big part of my life and my kidsâ lives, and we celebrate the Christian holidays as well, and even more so I feel like holidays are about family and connecting and your heritage and your culture and telling stories, and so thatâs mostly our focus.â
The Grammy and Tony Award winner for Hamilton added to his wifeâs sentiment: âNicolette has an aunt that also celebrates both holidays, and she says that she celebrates all the fierce miracles. I loved that, [so] I adopted that saying.â
Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas
Ginnifer Goodwin, who was raised Jewish, reconnected with her faith at Temple Israelâs Shabbat service in 2013. Even so, she and her husband, Once Upon a Time costar Josh Dallas, still celebrate the Christmas season with their sons, Oliver Finlay and Hugo Wilson.
Dallas shared during a November 2022 appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show that his wife âlikes to set up [the Christmas tree] super early.â The Manifest actor said the only thing missing from their celebrations at the time was a âJennifer Hudson Christmas album,â which he playfully joked he was âupsetâ about.
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow opened up about her experience growing up in a Jewish and Christian home while chatting with Noa Tishby for her Bring on the Light YouTube series celebrating Hannukah.
After sharing some of her favorite Hannukkah memories, Paltrow shared what it was like growing up in an interfaith household.
âMy mother is Christian, my father is Jewish so itâs interesting,â she began. âI grew up in a time in the â70s where I think interfaith marriage was still kind of a big deal and so it was real hard for both of my parentsâ parents that they were marrying each other and it was a bit scandalous. Nobody was happy about it,â the good founder explained.
After explaining that both sides eventually put their differences aside, Paltrow talked about how the experience impacted her.
âI felt so fortunate because I got to grow up with these two very different worlds and very different faiths,â she said. âI always felt an incredible pull to my Jewish family, I still do. And just the traditions and the warmth and the unconditional love and the food and the yelling and the family,â she joked.
Paul McCartney
Sir Paul McCartney kept his holiday messaging quite simple this year. The legendary Beatle posted two photos on Instagram: The first was a picture of himself and his wife Nancy Shevell posing in front of a Christmas tree in Manhattan, followed by a photo of a lit menorah. âHappy Christmas all round the world and have a heck of a Hanukkah,â he wrote.
Madonna
Madonna made sure to celebrate the dual holiday by getting festive with her family. The queen of pop shared a video featuring her boyfriend Akeem Morris and four of her kids: Lourdes Leon, 28, Chifundo âMercyâ James, 18, and 12-year-old twins Stella and Estere.
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