In 2003, Adam Brody’s Seth Cohen introduced us all to “Chrismukkah” on The O.C. As the son of a Christian mom and Jewish dad, he wanted to celebrate both holidays, so he decided to create a super holiday. Since then, this silly term has continued to be used. However, it turns out the actor’s own wife, Leighton Meester, only recently found out her partner helped coin the fantastic word.
So, with Chrismukkah fast approaching, let’s learn about how the hybrid holiday came to be, and why Adam Brody’s wife and fellow actor didn’t fully realize he was one of the folks who helped create it.
How The O.C. Came Up With Chrismukkah
In Season 1, Episode 13 of the teen drama, aptly titled “The Best Chrismukkah Ever,” Brody’s character passionately explained the thinking behind the combo holiday to his friend (and The O.C. cast’s leading man) Ryan, saying:
Allow me to introduce you to a little something that I like to call [claps] Chrismukkah. That’s right, it’s a new holiday Ryan, and it’s sweeping the nation, or at least the living room…I love the holidays, I love them all.
His mom then admitted they didn’t know which religion to raise Seth under, and he said:
Yeah, so I raised myself, and in doing so, I created the greatest super-holiday known to mankind. Drawing on the best that Christianity and Judaism have to offer.
While speaking with Huff Post in 2013, The O.C.’s creator Josh Schwartz explained why they came up with the now iconic holiday term. Noting that it was partly inspired by his own experiences and the intentional choice to have Seth grow up in an interfaith family he said:
But the idea of this interfaith holiday and that Kirsten was sort of this shiksa goddess and that Seth would have very cannily seen this as an opportunity to really cash in and have eight days of gifts, followed by one day of many, many gifts, also felt very true to his character.
Seth does say in the episode that one of the benefits of the holiday is having “eight days of presents, followed by one day of many presents.” You can see the other traditions of Chrismukkah in the hilarious clip from The O.C. below:
Schwartz then went on to say they were trying to pick between Chrismukkah or “Hanimas.” I think they chose correctly because, the creative said they “probably should’ve done a better job of trademarking it and selling greeting cards,” since the term has become so widely used.
Many know that Seth Cohen coined the term in 2003. However, Adam Brody’s wife Leighton Meester was totally unaware that her partner helped make the word iconic until recently, even though both Chrismukkah and The O.C. are over 20 years old now.
Leighton Meester Only Recently Found Out Chrismukkah Originated On Adam Brody’s Show
It turns out, Leighton Meester, Adam Brody’s wife and fellow 2000s teen drama star, “didn’t know” his show created the holiday verbiage until recently. While speaking with The Messanger about her own project on the 2023 Christmas movie schedule, EXmas, the former Gossip Girl cast member said:
It's so funny, because I have heard that word before. I mean, I can put two and two together, I get what that is. I didn't know that was the origin of it. Maybe I just learned this recently. I don't know.
I find it hard to believe that Meester didn’t know her husband helped coin the term Chrismukkah, especially since she said they kind of celebrate both holidays in their home.
Both Meester and Brody have starred in two legendary teen shows, and like The O.C., Gossip Girl also had some fabulous holiday episodes that are full of fun and unique traditions (and lots of drama, obviously). However, they were more known for their Thanksgiving episodes, not Christmas (or Chrismukkah).
If you are looking to throw it back, and watch the holiday episodes of The O.C. and Gossip Girl to get in the Chrismukkah, Christmas, Hanukkah or holiday spirit, you can stream both shows with a Max subscription. When you are done with that, make sure to check out our list of the best Christmas movies to continue the festivities.
