Hannukkah

Chanukah was a blast this year. I must say, it wasn't the best we ever had, but it was fun.

We only had one entry into this years pageant. We usually have 3 or 4. And the girlies that did perform did it all on their own with no prompting or input from mom. It was sort of sad because my kids really like performing. I think they realized how much work I put into their performances in the past though. A lot goes into making this crew of mine's talent shine. I didn't have time to work my mojo this year so nothing got done. But they are all looking forward to doing something for Purim.

On the home front, we did have a nice little party this year. It is always fun to spend time with friends noshing and laughing. We played a game called This or That and had a lot of fun. You learn a lot about people playing that game. Even the teens who were with us had fun. There was lots of good food and drink to be had and I am glad to say, most of the unhealthy stuff was gone so no temptations for me ^.^. It is always fun lighting candles with friends.

The decorations have stayed up way past the last night, I just don't want to take them down yet. It just looks so festive in here with all the new hanukiah I have collected over the past year. The sparklies help brighten up the dreary weather feeling. They also help me remember that most of the rest of the world is still celebrating.

A new tradition we started this year involves chocolates. We got a Whitmans sampler on sale and every night we lit at home, we would each pick a chocolate from the box. Now of course the night of the party, we forgot to bring out the new big box we got just for the occasion, but rest assured, it didn't go to waste. It was fun watching everyone try and figure out which to pick. Since we didn't do as many gifts this year, is was a fun way to get a treat every night.

The schul also has a homemade channukia and homemade dreidle contest every year. Usually we spend a couple of hours at Joannes looking for just the right materials for our entries. This year, because of time constraints, everything had to come from what we already had at home. We had some very interesting things done with painters tape and clay. Now we have the challenge we have every year. What do we do with them now? They are to clever to just throw away, but not quite worthy of going in the Hanukkah box and displaying next year. What to do, what to do.

God said that we are to be a light in the world and not to conform to the world. Although this particular holiday isn't a biblical holiday, I am glad we celebrate it. It helps us remember as a family that we are dedicated to being God's children. It helps us to remember that being different from the rest of the world isn't bad. It makes us focus on God's shamish, Yeshua, or Jesus and what He did and does for us. It allows for light in this dark season of our year. It reminds us that God's miracles are always just in time.