THE REASONS FOR THE SEASON RABBI, REVEREND TO SHARE HISTORY BEHIND HOLIDAYS.

Byline: Holly Andres Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - Growing up on Molokai in the Hawaiian Islands, singing ``White Christmas'' didn't make a lot of sense to the Rev. Flora Obayashi. Instead, Santa rode an outrigger, elves wore aloha shirts and a Norfolk Island pine was the traditional Christmas tree.

Rabbi Steven Conn's family was just about the only Jewish family in a suburban Detroit neighborhood. Neighbors would invite his family to help decorate their Christmas trees, and they in turn would invite their curious neighbors to experience Hanukkah blessings and candle lighting.

Drawing on their unique family experiences, Obayashi of Santa Clarita United Methodist Church and Conn from Congregation Beth Shalom in Santa Clarita will share their religious traditions Thursday at an adult class titled ``What Every Jew Needs to Know About Christmas, What Every Christian Needs to Know About Hanukkah.''

``Apparent to many people are the signs of the Christmas season; the running from store to store, the decorated trees, Santa Claus, the jingle bells and the gingerbread houses,'' Obayashi said.

``People are here from many countries and different religions. They see it's a season of gift giving. They understand the season is being with family but the meaning of Christmas is not clear to them amid all the signs of the season. I feel so blessed to be asked to speak and I hope to bring the deeper meaning of Christmas to the group.''

Obayashi and Conn are members of the Santa Clarita Valley Interfaith Council. Successfully collaborating on interfaith panels in the past, they decided there was a need to explain the foundations, the symbols and the traditions of Christmas and Hanukkah.

``The holidays are stressful for Jews and Christians,'' said Conn. ``We deal with Christmas in the workplace, in shopping malls and in our own families with interfaith marriages. I think there is also a real ignorance about our neighbors. We need a chance to talk about what Christmas means. The more we know about the Christian faith, the better we know about our own and the more we can appreciate each other.''

Suggesting a few practical ways to put spirituality into both holidays will be part of each speaker's presentation.

``We all lead such busy lives. We struggle with getting together as a family,'' Conn said. ``If you can come together as you light the menorah, you can make it a close family time and a time to appreciate each other.''

``Hanukkah recalls a time when Jews were persecuted for their faith and then rose up for their religious freedom. We can say 'yes' to our Jewishness and think about why Judaism is important to us during the eight days of Hanukkah.''

Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas, is the time for Christians to focus on four qualities of God. During this time everything that a Christian does, said Obayashi, can be made sacred.

``Putting tape on a package can be your wish for the well-being of someone else,'' Obayashi said. ``Last week we focused on God coming to us as a hope of the world. This week we focus on peace. We can create peace a soul at a time using whatever talents we've been given.''

``The third week is about joy. We can bring joy to people who are sad. The fourth week, we respond to love. We can bring love to people who are broken in spirit. All of these things are life-affirming, and this is our mission as Christians to create a better world.''

``What Every Jew Needs to Know About Christmas, What Every Christian Needs to Know About Hanukkah'' will be held from 7:45-9:15 p.m. Thursday at Congregation Beth Shalom, 21430 Centre Pointe Parkway, Santa Clarita. Call [phone]. Santa Clarita United Methodist Church, call [phone].

Holly Andres, [phone]

holly.andres(at)dailynews.com

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Rabbi Steven Conn and the Rev. Flora Obayashi will lead a class Thursday on Jewish and Christian traditions and the holidays.

Tom Mendoza/Staff Photographer