Though both of my parents are Jewish, I was raised celebrating both Christmas and Hanukkah (and its various spelling variations, but I prefer the silent “chhhhhhh”) because it’s fun and we like all the foods. 

I don’t remember making latkes with my parents as a kid. However, my paternal grandmother, Cele, made them every once in a while. 

On the occasions we didn’t celebrate Hanukkah at her house in Cedarhurst, Long Island, I distinctly remember her coming over to our house for Christmas. On the rare occasions the two holidays overlapped, we ate latkes by the tree. Instead of the traditional star or angel, we topped ours with a tin foil-covered bagel nestled between felt doves with wire claws that wrapped around the top branches to hold them in place. I like to think the overall effect was symbolic of world peace—our New York Jewishness paired with the spirit of peace on earth. Of course doves are related to pigeons, and in real life they’d peck each other to death fighting over the bagel. Well, it’s the thought that counts.