Beginning the day after Thanksgiving, 97.1 WASH FM, a radio station in my hometown of Washington, D.C., transforms its programming from a mix of hits from the 1970s, 80s and 90s to 24-hour Christmas songs. All across the country, radio stations make the same changes, announcing to the general public that Christmas has arrived. even if it's a month away.Being Jewish, I get many questions about how I deal with the holiday season. I'm sure a lot of you readers encounter the same queries. Christmas is so dominant in our culture that little notice is afforded to the other religious holidays taking place in the winter. In a recent attempt to introduce more egalitarian holiday advertisements, Old Navy and now Richard Branson, the head of the Virgin Corporation, created Chrismuhanukwanzika, a combination holiday with a very silly name. These advertisements' marginal success that probably stems more from catching the whimsy of the public than having a more equal-opportunity holiday season.

But the truth is, I'm not only unbothered by the Christmas-centricity of the holiday season, I actually rather enjoy it. It seems that the great American commercial way has stripped the religion from Christmas, leaving behind a spirit of love and giving that I like. Just because our gift buying is caught up in the capitalist tangle of American marketing doesn't make Christmas an empty holiday. The desire to give -to friends, to family, to neighbors and even to strangers-is something I find quite admirable, and in which I happily participate. I like to see my loved ones light up when I give them presents; I like knowing that I have made someone happy, whether I know them or not.

The holiday season also brings about a round of decorating that delights me. Seeing a city lit with tiny white Christmas lights, decorated with wreaths and red ribbons, is beautiful. At nighttime the cities glow warmly, as smoke from chimneys in the suburbs mixes with the low-lit sunset clouds or the glow of the moon. People decorate their towns as they do their homes, and the centers of our communities, from urban city centers to small rural towns, all take on a more intimate feel, as if all the residents are crowded around a public fireplace.

During the holiday season we talk more to each other. We huddle closer, seeking warmth and companionship in the cold winter weather. Conversations in department stores- as strangers search for gifts alongside each other-are pleasant, inquiring, curious, but never suspicious or demanding. Bars become more crowded, there are more people to meet, more friends to be made. We gather in our living rooms and kitchens not just to exchange gifts and eat meals, but simply to spend time together. Maybe it is something that winter does naturally, but I think it is also a cornerstone of how we view our winter holidays. These things have nothing to do with the specific holiday or religion. It is how all people, from all times, have celebrated the coming of winter, the success of the fall harvest, and the completion of another year.

I don't think Jews, or any other groups, should resent that the holiday season, as marketed by the corporations who benefit from it, is focused mainly on Christmas. Sure, constantly hearing about Santa Claus when you have never believed in him gets tiresome, but that doesn't have to be what the holiday season is about. We don't have to be slaves to the advertisements on the television. But we should be willing to open our hearts and our homes to our friends and families, and to people in need over the next month. We've made it through another year; let's celebrate.