Happy Hanukkah!

We haven’t celebrated Hanukkah when I was a child. My parents were not raised in religious families and the only religious holiday that was somewhat marked on the calendar was Passover. But as an adult I am fascinated with Hanukkah and its 8 days of special celebrations. We are not going for 8 days of presents, but there will be some presents on the first and last days of Hanukkah including a special one that I brought home from my last visit from Israel. It’s a beautiful handmade dreidel, and now  Anna is old enough to be able to spin it. To prepare for the holiday and understand the history behind it we read a couple of Hanukkah books in advance. It’s a Miracle by Stephanie Miller and Jill McElmurry is a fantastic book that is probably better read in parts – one part for one Hanukkah night. I think that non-Jewish readers will enjoy it as well. We both liked it so much that we read it from start to finish… a few times now. It doesn’t cover the history of the holiday though except as an afterword – familiarity with the story of Hanukkah is assumed in the text. A Family Hanukkah by Bobbi Katz is an older book that elegantly incorporates the Hanukkah story into the text.

Anna is very excited about Hanukkah crafts, which is uncommon for her. So far we have made a handprint menorah for the postcard that went to grandparents and the matching Christmas Star and David Star sun catchers for her bedroom window. On Monday she came back to school to find a package that we received from Frugal Family Fun. One of  the gifts was tied with a beautiful bright ribbon, and somehow this ribbon was the most desired part of the package for her. She announced that she will make a menorah out of the ribbon. She planned and executed the whole thing herself including deciding that giant marshmallows will make perfect candle holders (she doesn’t like to eat them). Eventually I convinced her to use playdoh for candle holders, because I wasn’t sure whether marshmallows will keep well.

I am very excited about tonight when we will light the first candle of menorah, eat latkes and let Anna open her presents. Happy Hanukkah and happy first day of December, everyone.

I am linking this post to StArt at A Mommy’s Adventures, Kids Get Crafty at Red Ted’s Art and History/Geography Exchange at Children Grow, Children Explore, Children Learn.