ABSTRACT
The Hallmark Channel’s “Countdown to Christmas” lineup has broadened over the past decade to include Hanukkah-themed movies in its holiday programming. Yet, the handful of movies with Jewish characters have only served to further highlight the network’s Christmas message instead of elucidating the nuances of Jewish holiday practices. Equating Hanukkah with Christmas or using negative Jewish stereotypes, for instance, belies any attempt to portray Jews as full, complex characters. An examination of Holiday Engagement (2011), Hitched for the Holidays (2012), Holiday Date (2019), Double Holiday (2019), and Love, Lights, Hanukkah! (2020) reveals the secular tensions and ubiquity of Christian beliefs in Hallmark TV programming, even when its movies include a storyline about Hanukkah. Divorcing Hanukkah from Christmas and offering authentic representations of Jews will not only advance American perceptions of Jews and Judaism, but it will also promote the need for greater representation across all religions and other forms of identity expression.
