Christmas and Hanukkah fall on same night

MERION STATION, Pa. (WPVI) -- Hymie's is used to being busy on Christmas, and this year, the first night of Hanukkah falls on the same day. The last time this happened was back in 2005.

"It's great; everyone just gets to celebrate and it's happy. Everyone is surrounded by loved ones so it couldn't be better, it couldn't be more special," said Jack Robinson of Penn Valley.

"Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah, there's no better place to be than Hymie's Delicatessen. Reuben sandwich, pancakes and the like so it's great to be here," said Kevin Callahan of Drexel Hill.

"'Being Blank' at Christmas is our annual family day on December 25 every year," said Dan Samuels, director of public programs at the Weitzman National Museum of Jewish American History.

There are Hanukkah-themed activities, like drums and face painting, throughout the day and the lighting of the Menorah.

"Obviously it's Christmas today and it's the first night of Hanukkah, which doesn't happen very often. It's great that everyone has something to celebrate today," said Jeffrey Resnick of Cherry Hill.

Back at Hymies, customers were loading up on latkes! On Christmas Day, the deli sells four times as many potato pancakes compared to a typical day.

"Everybody is happy, everybody is ecstatic and everyone feels the love of the day," said Dominic Monastra, the manager at Hymie's.