This year, the Jewish celebration of the festival of lights (Hanukkah) begins at sundown on Wednesday, Dec. 25 — AKA Christmas Day — and you know what that means: it’s time to celebrate Chrismukkah! It’s the first time that Hanukkah has begun on Christmas in nearly two decades (Judaism follows a lunar calendar while Christianity follows a solar one), and the occurrence feels like cosmic confirmation that the Adam Brody renaissance was written in the stars.
Seth Cohen, Brody's character on The O.C., is widely credited with popularizing the term for the blended holiday. Cohen grew up in an interfaith household and wanted to maximize celebrating by combining the two holidays to create Chrismukkah. The result? Four excellent Chrismukkah episodes of The O.C. to stream this holiday season. Are you ready to celebrate Chrismukkah? Here's what to know about the blended holiday and where to stream The O.C.
What is Chrismukkah?
Chrismukkah is the real-life rare occurrence where the first night of Hanukkah corresponds with Christmas Day. This overlap hasn't occurred since 2005, just two years after The O.C. character Seth Cohen popularized the concept onscreen, in the December 2003 holiday episode of the series, "The Best Chrismukkah Ever" (Season 1, Episode 13).
In The O.C., Seth Cohen grows up with a Jewish father and Protestant mother, and celebrates both holidays, so when the opportunity to merge the festivities presents itself, Seth really leans in.
When is Chrismukkah?
While Christmas Eve and Christmas day remain the 24th and the 25th every year, Hanukkah spans eight days and runs on the Jewish calendar, which is lunar based, so the dates for Hanukkah change every year. This year, Hanukkah Eve falls on the 25th (Christmas Day), making it the perfect time to celebrate Chrismukkah.
Did The O.C. invent Chrismukkah?
While Seth Cohen may have popularized the idea of celebrating both holidays together, the merged celebrations of Hanukkah and Christmas can be traced back to the 19th century.
That being said, The O.C. has four Chrismukkah episodes you can celebrate the holiday season with!
Chrismukkah episodes of The O.C.:
“The Best Chrismukkah Ever” (Season 1, Episode 13)
“The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn’t” (Season 2, Episode 6)
“The Chrismukkah Bar Mitz-vahkkah” (Season 3, Episode 10)
“The Chrismukk-huh?” (Season 4, Episode 7)