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Jeff, the only Jew in our class, happily joined us. It was, as they say nowadays, a ‘learning moment’.

In my elementary school, we sang plenty of religious Christmas Carols, and a couple of Hannukah songs were thrown in, which we didn't mind. It didn't make us Jewish, and it didn't deny a Christian Truth. ("Tis the week of Hannukah, good cheer it is bringing, this holiday we celebrate with dancing and singing, stand around together the Torah we'll do, then join in a song that out forefathers knew")

Some kids teased one of the Jewish kid (who was a neighbor and friend of mine) about not getting Christmas presents. The natural counter is eight days of presents, and usually early. To Jacques' credit (his parents were French Jews whose family fled Hitler) he never told us there was no Santa Claus.