Well, because I have twin seven-year-old boys, I enjoy the gift giving stuff a great deal. We do both Hanukkah and Christmas, so it is a costly, though extremely pleasing proposition.

In this remark, Melamed frames holiday gift-giving less as an abstract ritual than as a lived, family-centered pleasure shaped by parenthood. The presence of “twin seven-year-old boys” explains both the intensity of the season and the delight he takes in it: children make the exchange of gifts feel immediate and meaningful. By noting that his family observes both Hanukkah and Christmas, he also gestures toward a blended or interfaith household and the practical consequences of honoring multiple traditions. The humor of calling it “costly” while “extremely pleasing” captures the familiar tension between financial burden and emotional reward during the holidays.