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[helpful]

When I had a Jewish SIL, I made sure to decorate the house in blue and silver holiday decor - during Chanukkah, I would add a menorah and at Christmas I would add a tree, but the decor itself was just festive.

As for "Chanukah decorations" you can commercialize anything!! However, I will point out that in attempting to prove this, Party City had a google hit, but when you followed the link, nothing could be found.

Michael's carries them around here.  Dreidel candles, dreidel garlands, star of David garlands, menorahs, silver & blue garlands, etc.  

That's not Chanukah. That is just a pale imitation of Christmas meant to make money for the store.
Frankly, rather than imitate the garishness and commercial over-hype of Christmas, I would just talk about liberation and freedom and overcoming oppression all season. That is the true spirit of Chanukah.

[glowdart]

When I had a Jewish SIL, I made sure to decorate the house in blue and silver holiday decor - during Chanukkah, I would add a menorah and at Christmas I would add a tree, but the decor itself was just festive.

As for "Chanukah decorations" you can commercialize anything!! However, I will point out that in attempting to prove this, Party City had a google hit, but when you followed the link, nothing could be found.

Michael's carries them around here.  Dreidel candles, dreidel garlands, star of David garlands, menorahs, silver & blue garlands, etc.  

That's not Chanukah. That is just a pale imitation of Christmas meant to make money for the store.
Frankly, rather than imitate the garishness and commercial over-hype of Christmas, I would just talk about liberation and freedom and overcoming oppression all season. That is the true spirit of Chanukah.

Really?  Wow.  I hadn't considered that. 

The question wasn't whether or not plastic crap "is Chanukah."  After all, Christmas trees "are not Christmas" either, just like birthday candles and cake are not an accurate representation of a human life, and yet people still use them to celebrate.  The question was, is the holiday commercialized and if so, where one could find the plastic crap. 

[msparticularity]

I want to do Winter Solstice, but haven't figured out to manage that yet.

Apparently, holly, ivy and mistletoe are traditional--as is light/fire. I found a suggestion for holly berry lights (from Target) and paper snowflakes, which sounds kind of pleasant and do-able to me. I think one can also acquire fairly nice-looking holly wreaths. I'm beginning to think this may be the approach I want to take, in fact.

[concordancia]

I want to do Winter Solstice, but haven't figured out to manage that yet.

Apparently, holly, ivy and mistletoe are traditional--as is light/fire. I found a suggestion for holly berry lights (from Target) and paper snowflakes, which sounds kind of pleasant and do-able to me. I think one can also acquire fairly nice-looking holly wreaths. I'm beginning to think this may be the approach I want to take, in fact.

Yeah, most of what we consider "Christmas decorations," except the Nativity, are solstice decorations - which makes it even more humorous when we manage to sell them to our neighbors in the Southern Hemisphere.

[erzuliefreda]

Yes, I love the overlapping of traditions. I am not Christian and at home I do not use religious holiday imagery, just garlands, pine cones, balls, bows, light, etc. At work, though, part of my goal is to remind people that not everyone is Christian, so more useful would be a large tacky sign from Party City that says "Happy Solstice & Blessed Be." Unfortunately, even after Charmed, Party City isn't quite there yet...

[jackofallchem]

Lo Saturnalia!

[topsitarian]

I love Hannuka, but I think I would probably feel weirder if my university decorated for Hannuka then when it doesn't. My home building got decorated for Christmas and I hung up a couple of Hannuka decorations just because I was throwing a  party and felt it would be a nice contrast, but I took those off as soon as Hannuka was over.

As someone pointed out, Hannuka is not "Jewish Christmas". In fact, it doesn't bear any of the cultural or religious significance of Christmas. Hannuka is a very minor holiday in religious terms and it's also not really supposed to be a big family holiday (in the same way that Passover or Rosh Hashana are). I get why some Jewish people in America, in particular, like to celebrate Hannuka as a Christmas-equivalent, because it can be kind of alienating to have a major, shiny, commercial holiday happening around you - but that's not really what Hannuka is.

I find that even in the fairly diverse academic community in which I live, a lot of people tend to automatically assume that you celebrate Christmas. A lot of people will ask me "so, what are you doing for Christmas this year?" and I will say "nothing, I'm Jewish". They will then either express surprise that Jews don't celebrate Christmas, or say "well, yes, I know, but I meant for Hannuka", and when I explain that Hannuka was three weeks ago many people will have a hard time understanding that Hannuka isn't simply a Jewish version of Christmas.

Because of all this, I think in a way I would find it kind of disingenuous if my university were to decorate for Christmas and Hannuka and Kwanzaa (and there is also sometimes a major Muslim holiday that falls around the same season, plus Winter Solstice and I'm sure there are other celebrations). I actually don't mind that they decorate for Christmas. I like Christmas decorations. They are twinkly and pretty. But I would feel better if they just said "look, the majority of the students and faculty here are Christians, so we are putting up a few decorations (ideally not over-the-top religious ones). In addition, because we recognize the diversity of this school, we welcome students, faculty and staff of all faiths (and none) to publicly celebrate their holidays following their traditions".

[erzuliefreda]

and there is also sometimes a major Muslim holiday that falls around the same season,

My Muslim neighbors used to hang Happy Eid cards on their front doors. Nothing this fancy. Decorations for all.

[prytania3]

What do people mean by "Chanukah decorations". Other than an appropriately lit menorah (after sundown) and the joking "Chanukah bush" of my childhood, I can't think of anything else that you would put up for Chanukah. Have I been missing something in my Jewish heritage? Chanukah is not the Jewish Christmas, after all.

Ummmm, actually it sort of is. On the pecking order of Jewish holidays, Chanukah only exists in a big way to compete with the goyem getting gifts.

[hipgeek]

This is a digression, but I haven't been able to find mistletoe anywhere!  What gives?

[glowdart]

This is a digression, but I haven't been able to find mistletoe anywhere!  What gives?

I was just reading about a wreath shortage because of the storms in Canada (??).  I wasn't paying particularly close attention (obviously), but perhaps the mistletoe is also in short supply for similar reasons? 

[barred_owl]

This is a digression, but I haven't been able to find mistletoe anywhere!  What gives?

I was just reading about a wreath shortage because of the storms in Canada (??).  I wasn't paying particularly close attention (obviously), but perhaps the mistletoe is also in short supply for similar reasons? 

Here's one possible explanation:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11933118 

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant, so I wonder if its supply in the US is a result of intensive management of orchards or forests from which it might be harvested?  Good question, glowdart!