I grew up in a town where there wasn't a super-huge Jewish population. Everyone talks about the joy of running down the stairs on Christmas morning to a mountain of presents. Parents are relieving their eggnog hangover with coffee and joyously watching their children get excited about the fruits of their labor. This day is a different, and a lot more depressing, story when you are a Jew during Christmas time.

7:00 a.m.: On the morning of December 25th, I wake up as if it is any other snowy, depressing day. There are no presents because we already received all of our gifts during Chanukah a week or so before. I am never usually awake so early, but waking up at this time is necessary in order to get to the movie theatre in time for the $6 matinee special. I am forced to make myself breakfast at home because no place is open for breakfast! It's Christmas for everyone but me!

8:00 a.m.: I leave the house with my family super excited to see the slew of new movies that have been released Christmas day.

9:00 a.m.: It is time for that first movie of the day. After fighting with your family over what movie you all should enjoy together, you all decide to part your separate ways due to conflicting tastes. You wave good bye to your parents for a good couple hours. Popcorn and water bottles are still overpriced at the movie theatre, but at least you only had to pay $6 for your movie ticket.

11:30 a.m.: Your eyes ache from the burn of eyeballs fixating on a movie screen for an extended period of time. The movie you wanted to see was only okay, nothing to write home to mom about. You think to yourself, "Was is worth waking up at such an early hour to go see that movie?" The answer is yes, because what else were you going to do?

12:00 p.m.: You are still waiting for your parents to come out of their movie. Of course they had to pick the movie that was 3 hours long and predicted to receive an Academy Award. In this time, you search Facebook and longingly see all of the happy, smiling pictures of Christmas holiday joy. There is only one time a year where you can be overwhelmed with gifts and happiness in such a compacted way. Excited children find that the cookies they left out for Santa were eaten and presents left in exchange. And I'm not experiencing the joy they know.

12:30 p.m.: Time for Chinese food lunch! Chinese food places are the only food restaurants that are open on that day. Why Chinese food is a Jewish Christmas staple? Because it's available.

1:00 p.m.: The rest of the night, there is nothing more that can be done. Some people watch another movie and eat another round of chinese food. Some people go over people's houses for a late Christmas party and wind down with there friends that just came home from Mass.

Christmas is a boring day in the life cycle of an American Jewish woman. Here are some videos below that can hopefully explain the heartache that Jewish kids go through every December.