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Chanukah Fails: Merch Gone Wrong

Today on Jewcy: Don we now our chag apparel… oops.

by
Gabriela Geselowitz
December 11, 2017

Every year, corporate American remembers amongst the jingle bells and mistletoe that Jews, too, are a consumer market. And so, out they trot with Chanukah merchandise, like some Prometheus of the holiday spirit, bestowing upon American Jewry the gift of ugly sweaters of our own (and, surprise surprise, lots of branded socks).

At what point do we appreciate these seasonal crumbs, and at what point do we turn it into an opportunity to kvetch? Is it nice to be included at all, or do the generic blue decorations smack of insincerity? Isn’t there anyone who knows what Chanukah is all about?

If it’s not worth engaging in debates about the commercialization of Chanukah (the very fact that we give gifts for it mean that ship sailed long ago), we can still nitpick about one thing: Merchandizing accuracy.

Gabriela Geselowitz is a writer and the former editor of Jewcy.com.