What does it feel like to have the first day of Hanukkah on Thanksgiving?

Well, the first night of Hanukkah is actually the night before, but it feels very strange.  And it messes up how my husband and I divide holidays between our families.

Everything has been a rush this year. Tisha Ba' Av must have passed while the Independence Day fireworks were still going, or so it seems. We barely started the academic year when my son had to be out for Rosh Hashanah. That made a great impression on the first year of middle school. Since I am in a college town, not a major metropolitan city, I get to look forward to even more confusion from my Christian neighbors as the token Chanukkah song hits the radio weeks late. Happy freakin holiday. Bah humbug!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. Bar none, hands down, this is it, #1. There's no religion involved, it's fall and I love this season, my mom, who's gone, always has Thanksgiving at our house, and I love stuffing. I also make the best sweet potato souffle in the world. We're having Thanksgiving this year over at my friend's house. She makes the best potato latkes on the planet. We agreed that we'd do all the traditional food and make potato latkes. I'm still doing the sweet potatoes and Bunny's Apple Pie. I can't wait for the latkes, one of her friends is bring kugel but we're having the traditional bird and not brisket or tongue. The first gift, on the first night, will be that we're all together and there will not better gift than that.

I practice Judaism and see no problem in observing Thanksgiving with a kosher turkey.  I understand your opinion, but Thanksgiving has no religious connotations IMHO!

It's great. What other time do you get to DELIBERATELY set things on fire on Thanksgiving? In seriousness, being able to celebrate both holidays at the same time with so much family around feels pretty special.

Thanksgivukkah was great! I am living in Israel right now, so my friends and I put together a feast to celebrate both holidays. Since we are all away from our families, we called it "Friendsgivukkah!" You can read about it here: http://nicoblossomtravels.wordpress.com/2013/11/29/friendsgivukkah/

I know what I will say now will be unpopular, sharp and make some people angry, but I think there is too much hypocrisy out there. The only people this effects are Jews who celebrate secular holidays. No disrespect to them, there are many religious Jews who do so, but we Jews have so many holidays already that I have no need for shallow modern ones. Besides I never did understand why Chanukkah of all Jewish holidays is so popular amongst secular Jews. It is one of the only Rabbinic holidays and secular Jews (especial Reform) claim there is no validity in Rabbinic law. Their celebration of Chanukah makes no sense. We are not celebrating independence from the Greeks on Channukah. The independence of Israel only came thirty years after the Chanukah miracle! We are celebrating Chanukah because: 1. We celebrate the miracle that we were able to perform the commandment to light the Menorah in the Temple (how many secular Jews today would feel such joy if G-d miraculously allowed them to perform a commandment?) 2. We celebrate the battle to revive the Temple and the rest from battle thereafter, which is in Hebrew what Chaunkah actually means (do secular Jews yearn for the Temple and with it reinstated?) 2. Most importantly, the real reason we celebrate Chanukah even without a Temple is because the Macabees went to war, not for independence but only to cleanse Israel from the perverted Hellenic Western culture dominated by idolatry, divert sexual behaviors (adultery, homosexuality, pedophilia…) and and other corruptions that are part and parcel of Western culture (wow, how many secular Jews would start a war to defeat people who were so ‘modern,' open and support homosexuality!) All the Hasmoneans wanted to for all Jews to worship G-d keep the Torah and live by its laws. For that they were willing to die and even kill hellenized Jews and Greeks. What a Jew who does not keep the Torah thinks when they light the Menorah is beyond me. Do they reflect that there were people willing to die to get rid of the very values and ‘tolerance’ of all sorts of moral muck they PRIDE themselves with? The Hasmoneans were more religious than the most religious Jew today and more willing to sacrifice their tiny band against the massive Syrian Greek army in their desire to be able to worship G-d. Maybe it is better that secular Jews ignore Chanukah like they do most Jewish holidays. It is way too self contradictory a holiday to celebrate. Why don’t they keep Sukkot. It is a holiday in the fall, all about the harvest, family time in an outdoor hut. Most of all it is thanksgiving days, we sing hallel and we are commanded to be joyous. If we have a Thanksgiving for 3000 years, why choose the one invented by Abe Lincoln?

It's great. You get to diversify the menu, light the candles, kids are excited about a double-party.