Assimilation no doubt played a role in making Hanukkah the commercialized holiday it is today. But other factors shaped the modern festival, too, a scholar of Jewish studies and gender explains.

Hanukkah can begin as early as Nov. 28 or as late as Dec. 27, depending on the year, according to Reader's Digest. Hanukkah changes dates every year — in the Gregorian calendar used by most of the world — because it is based on the Hebrew calendar.

It’s an “oy to the world” moment. It’s a mashup of Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah. It happens about once every 20 years, and this year, it happened. There’s even a nickname for this day “Chrismukkah.

This is just the fifth time since 1910 that the first night of Hanukkah has fallen on Christmas. You could call it an interfaith miracle. Others told our David Schuman, finding something open on this dual holiday was a real miracle in itself.

The Wirths got married in 201, so it will be the first time they celebrate Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah on the same day as a family.