Because when I think of goblins, I think of Hanukkah.
For all its talk about the power of the menorah, almost all the references to Hanukkah could really be swapped out with any kind of magical system and the story would be basically the same. When I teach my children about Hanukkah, I'll use a different method, because I prefer to stick to the facts of a culture. If this was like a traditional Jewish folktale, that might be different.
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Goblins are easy to fool. Or, Hanukkah is totally awesome.
It's pretty stereotypical. Very American, with the Fourth of July, baseball, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and the obsession with Christmas in December. There's not really much to it, with no storyline or message.
