For some reason, on my mom’s side of the family, we have always celebrated Hanukkah with a  piñata shaped like a Star of David.  My grandparents would fill it with whatever candy they had in their house and hang it from their highest ceiling. (Yes, this was indoors.) Since they didn’t want all of their grandchildren swinging baseball bats around their home, my grandpa rigged a flap on the bottom of the piñata with a string attached to it so that when we were all ready for our candy, he’d pull the string. Gushers and chocolate gelt would explode out, which may have been even more exciting than presents.

–Tyler Feder, Northwestern University ‘11

Growing up, my brother and I were huge fans of “Monty Python’s Flying Circus.” We were too young to understand most of the jokes, but something about silly Brits with wacky accents appealed to our unique sense of humor. We were especially fond of “Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail” (1975) and had the entire movie memorized by the time we were 10-years-old. During the Passover Seder, it is tradition to retell the Exodus from Egypt. But to my brother and me, the usual retelling was boring and dull, especially when my grandmother would do it using a felt board and Velcro cut-outs. So we decided it was time for something completely different: a Holy Grail version of the Passover story.. Why our parents encouraged us to write such a thing is still a mystery to this day. One might think that Moses and Monty Python have little in common, but somehow we made it work. In our version, the crossing of the Red Sea involved having to answer questions about African swallows before the sea could part. And what Monty Python Passover would be complete without a rendition of “I’m an Israelite (and I’m OK)”?

-Aaron Laub, Washington University ‘11

Every year without fail, my family celebrates “Christmas” .  My parents, grandparents and cousins are all Jewish, but Santa still manages to find us every year—maybe it’s because of the cookies and milk we leave out for him on Christmas Eve. As a child, I looked forward to Christmas presents, but today I look forward to Christmas because of the potato latkes, dreidel games and especially the time I get to enjoy with my family.

-Heather Langerman, Northwestern University ‘09

My family has many because we are Sephardic. During Seder, we take the Passover plate and the three matzahs. Everyone sings a specific Sephardic song while the leader goes around hitting people on the head with the plate.

-Camila Benaim, Northwestern University ‘12