December 12, 2013

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After-Hanukkah Glow Plus Gelt Hot Cocoa

December 12, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Chocolate gelt hot cocoaFirst, a huge thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of Jewish Holidays in a Box!

This includes everyone who bought our Hanukkah products, the editors and bloggers who gave us shout-outs and did giveaways for us, and our wonderful Facebook fans and blog subscribers.

We have a few Hanukkah in a Box Family Fun Kits left on amazon.com, if you’d like to get a jump on next year at a great price.

So what’s left to do before you pack up your Hanukkah dreidels and memories until next year?

#1 Clean your menorahs (or not)

Got wax on your menorahs and wondering how to get it off? I’ve always used the “submerge-in-hot-water” approach.

Here are other methods, as well, from Tablet Magazine. 

And, in this same article in Tablet Magazine comes a suggestion I quite like:  clean only what’s necessary to put in candles next year, because every drip of wax is a memory. I love it! Too bad I read this part only after ours were cleaned.

#2 Make creamy gelt cocoa

If you’re like us, you have a good stash of leftover chocolate gelt. And while you might be able to save your gelt for next year’s dreidel games, you might prefer knowing that the gelt people nosh (eat) is fresh and not a remnant from a Hanukkah past.

So consider making gelt cocoa to warm these wintry nights. This Spiced Hot Chocolate recipe comes with a kick of cayenne, plus nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves.

#3 Create an all-star treat

Or try this Chocolate Cranberry Cake with a Gelt Glaze from WhatJewWannaEat.com. While blogger and foodie Amy Kritzer came up with this for Thanksgivukkah, it’s a delicious, seasonal treat using cranberries that you can find now in the grocery store. Plus, I love a recipe with pictures.

Shout-outs of thanks for the shout-outs

Thanks to Staten Island Parent for running a giveaway for our Hanukkah Bingo Games —  and to these publications:

  • Sheknows.com, “Ten creative themes for holiday parties,” December 6, 2013. Molly Cerreta Smith. Read more . . .
  • Oogiah.com, “Thankful for Thanksgivukkah,” December 4, 2013. Rachel Teichman. Read more . . . 
  • Mayahood, “Hanukkah Arts & Crafts Activities in a Box,” November 26, 2013. Maya Fitzpatrick.  Read more . . . 
  • Jewish Exponent, ” ‘Unplugged’ Gifts to Inspire Creativity,” November 14, 2013. Elyse Glickman. Read more . . . 
  • Winchester Star, “Area Resident Develops Jewish Holidays in a Box for Celebrations,” November 22, 2013. Van Van Meter. Read more . . 

For links to other press from this season, click here. 

As 2013 starts to wind down, we hope that you have some relaxing family time coming your way.

Got pix to share from your Thanksgivukkah celebrations? Send ‘em our way.

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Filed Under: Blog, Cooking and baking, Gift, Hanukkah, Parents and children, Traditions Tagged With:

F.I.N.D.s* — “The Book of New Family Traditions”

December 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment

F.I.N.D.s* -- “The Book of New Family Traditions”Earlier this year, I stumbled across a wonderful book by Meg Cox, a kindred spirit.

“I dedicate this book to parents in families everywhere who know that their kids’ childhoods will zoom by in a flash and are determined to break those years down into memorable moments and deeply shared experiences.”

 “The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays and Every Day” gives insights into how to create rituals around everyday events, as well as around holidays and family celebrations.

Hanukkah In A BoxAfter Hanukkah markdown: Hanukkah in a Box Family Fun Kit – now just $18.95.

 Don’t you love this tweet?  “Cousins we sent the Hanukkah in a Box Family Fun Kit sent it to us too! Guess they loved it!!!”

Why family ritual is important?

Meg lists “10 Good Things Rituals Do for Children,” including:

  • imparting a sense of identity,
  • teaching values,
  • passing on religious heritage,
  • keeping alive a sense of departed family members, and
  • generating positive memories.

She has chapters on pet rituals, chore rituals, weekly rituals and so much more.

When our girls were younger, we had rituals in many of these areas. For instance, we took mystery walks when they were in elementary school. That really just meant walking to the library, to a friend’s house, or to the bagel store. But it was a “mystery” to them.

Those years, my husband traveled a lot. So many of those evenings, the girls and I had a “picnic” for dinner. That meant eating on a blanket on the kitchen floor.

When the girls were older, they had chores to do while I was at work. They *hated* finding those notes, swinging from a ribbon suspended from a hall chandelier. But they got to be brilliant at cooking and laundry before they left for college.

Tailoring Jewish holiday celebrations

We are fortunate that Judaism gives us opportunities to celebrate holidays that have so much depth that we can customize them to our family’s inclinations: foodies, nature lovers, musicians, artists, loud-and-festive, soft-and-pensive.

Our goal is to share Jewish holiday celebration ideas that you can tailor for your family. We’re now planning our blog posts for 2014. If you have ideas you’d like us to explore, please let us know.

And for daily rituals, if you are seeking ways to jazz up the moments of everyday life, we highly recommend Meg Cox’s gem of a book.

Your turn: What are your best memories?

Stop for a minute. And jot down—or mentally tick off – the 10 best memories in your life so far. Aside from the births of children and weddings, what rises to that level for you? Please share your thoughts. (Hint: think about when you’ve brought out the camera.)

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 *Fabulous. Intriguing. New-to-me. Discoveries.

 

Filed Under: Blog, Parents and children, Traditions Tagged With: ,

Hanukkah Decorations for Kids of All Ages

November 28, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Hanukkah Decorations for Kids of All AgesEight days! It’s hard to totally miss Hanukkah. Even if we’re not 100% ready on the first night, we’ve got a whole week to catch up.

And with Hanukkah starting with Thanksgiving weekend this year, there will likely be plenty of coloring / creation time in your home for little hands.

Our Happy Hanukkah Art & Activity Pak is your ready-made source for a mix of four-color and ready-to-color black and white illustrations.

You can also pull together your own images to inspire your young artists. Just search online for Hanukkah images to color.

Hanukkah triple play

Take an extra 50% off all downloadables with these promo codes at checkout.  - FINAL1 for “Celebrate Hanukkah: How to Light Up Your Holiday”  – FINAL2 for “Happy Hanukkah Art & Activity Pak.”  - FINAL3 for Hanukkah Blessings Tutorial  – FINAL4 for Hanukkah Triple Play.

 

Making easy Hanukkah decorations

Invite your kids to:

  • Decorate walls and windows with Hanukkah drawings
  • Jazz up packages you’re giving friends and family with Hanukkah images
  • Make Hanukkah cards

Supply your artists with crayons, markers, glitter glue, and glue sticks – and watch them go to town.

For our Happy Hanukkah Art & Activity packet, we chose classic Hanukkah symbols: a variety of menorahs, a Jewish star, gelt, dreidels, presents, flames, candles, and jelly doughnuts.

Final Hanukkah markdowns on Hanukkah in a Box Family Fun Kit and Hanukkah Games Box.  Free shipping for Amazon Prime members. Still plenty of time to ship before the end of Hanukkah!

String up a Happy Hanukkah banner

Our Happy Hanukkah Art & Activity Pak also includes pages to create a 6-foot long Happy Hanukkah banner that a whole group can color. Or you can make your own.

We put two letters on each 8-1/2 x 11 page, so each person gets to color at least two letters. Our banner has places to hole-punch, so that you can string ribbon through the whole banner. That way, when you hang it by the ribbon, it flutters above your other celebrations. (Our Hanukkah Games Box includes the banner pages and the ribbon.)

And if you think that coloring is only fun for kids, think again! I hosted a Sisterhood tea for our synagogue and  while one group made edible dreidels, the other group made the most magnificent banner – really beautiful!  Very impressive.

While we have a store-bought, glittery banner, too, I so much prefer the ones that we create as a group.

This year, we’re also planning to add pictures culled from magazines of Thanksgiving symbols: maple leaves, ears of corn, Pilgrim hats, canoes, and so on. I’m really excited for the unique opportunity this year. Can you tell?!

Happy Hanukkah!

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Filed Under: art, Blog, Hanukkah, Parents and children, Traditions Tagged With: , ,

Final Pre-Hanukkah Sales on Hanukkah Gifts – Special Weekend Edition

November 23, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Family lights the menorah to celebrate HanukkahAre you all set for Hanukkah?

I am so *not* set. Why do I wait so long?

I’m privileged to order gifts for my mother’s great grandkids. And she’s blessed with many of them. I’ve gotta finish this weekend!

Final pre-Hanukkah markdowns on games and kits

In case you’re in the same boat, I wanted to share our final pre-Hanukkah markdowns. Some quantities are limited – so check ‘em out right away on amazon.com. (Prime members get fast, free shipping!)

New markdown! Hanukkah in a Box Family Fun Kit – 35% off  through 11/28. Regular price: $35.15 Sale price: $22.85

New markdown! Hanukkah Games Box – 40% off through 11/28. Regular price:  $23.95  Sale price: $14.37

New markdown! Hanukkah Bingo Game – 20% off through 11/28. Regular price: $12.75  Sale price: $10.20

Congratulations to Dara, winner of our free Hanukkah in a Box Family Fun Kit!

 

Sales on Hanukkah downloadables, too

We’ve already marked down all of our new Hanukkah e-products. But here’s an extra 50% off to use  at checkout with these promo codes.

Promo codes:

  • FINAL1 for “Celebrate Hanukkah: How to Light Up Your Holiday”
  • FINAL2 for “Happy Hanukkah Art & Activity Pak”
  • FINAL3 for Hanukkah Blessings Tutorial
  • FINAL4 for Hanukkah Triple Play

#1 - Celebrate Hanukkah: How to Light Up Your Holiday is a 32-page guide that comes alive with engaging photos and creative ideas.

You get: 

  • Hanukkah Basics – core concepts, glossary, FAQs
  • Traditional Hanukkah Foods – easy latke recipe, Hanukkah cookie ideas, dreidel cake how-to
  • Decorating for Hanukkah – super simple ways to brighten your home
  • Hanukkah Blessings
  • Candle-Lighting Tips
  • Hanukkah Songs, plus links to great holiday music
  • How to Play Dreidel
  • Hanukkah Shopping Checklist

#2 - Happy Hanukkah Art & Activity Pak fuels the imagination of young artists, helping them make Hanukkah decorations, joyous Hanukkah cards, and charming gift tags. The 6-foot-long DIY banner will delight friends and family.  Fun activity invites even the littlest hands to “light” the menorah. Flames and candles galore to color!

You get: 

  • Cheerful pictures  to use in decorating
  • Black-and-white illustrations ready for coloring
  • Design-your-own Happy Hanukkah Banner
  • Menorah cut-and-color activity

#3 – Hanukkah Blessings Tutorial helps anyone who is uncomfortable with the Hanukkah blessings gain total confidence. The four tracks review the basic Hanukkah terminology, teach the spirit and meaning behind the three key Hanukkah blessings, offer a practice session (phrase by phrase), and provide the Hanukkah melodies. This comes with a printable reference guide with the terminology and blessings.

#4 – Hanukkah Triple Play. This offers all three downloadables at a discounted price.

 

Need more Hanukkah inspiration?

In case you missed them, check out these recent blog posts:

Hanukkah Core Concepts (And Pretzel Candles)

Hanukkah Cupcake Decorating Party

Hanukkah Music Makes Any Day a Party

Hanukkah Decorations and Colors

If you’re traveling for Thanksgivukkah, wishing you smooth sailing and kind weather! 

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Filed Under: Blog, Cooking and baking, Gift, Grandparents, Hanukkah, Music, Parents and children, Traditions, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Hanukkah Core Concepts (And Pretzel Candles)

November 21, 2013 By 2 Comments

Pretzel Rod Candles for HanukkahAs our grandchildren grow, I like to remember the three core Hanukkah concepts to emphasize with young children.

Here’s an excerpt from “Celebrate Hanukkah: How to Light Up Your Holiday.”

From the basic Hanukkah story come the three core concepts that we suggest sharing with young children: light, miracle, and oil.

Hanukkah In A Box Family Fun Kit

 

30% off Hanukkah in a Box Family Fun Kit! 1 week only. November 21 through the 27th. 

 

 

Here are some examples of how to bring each concept to life in your home:

#1 / Light

  • Light Hanukkah candles during the eight nights of the holiday.
  • Place the menorah in a window (facing the dark of the winter sky), showcasing the twinkling of the lit candles.
  • Turn off the overhead lights in your room and just watch the flames dance.

Thanks to a friend from Texas for sharing her tradition: “We decorate our house during Hanukkah with loads of holiday lights and spend time together in just the light of the lights.”

#2 / Miracle

  • Because we light one more candle each night of Hanukkah (i.e., one on the first night, two on the second night), we show how the miracle of the little vat of oil also gets greater every night.
  • The letters on the dreidel stand for the phrase, “a great miracle happened there.”

#3 / Oil

  • Fry latkes (potato pancakes) in oil. Your house will smell wonderful!
  • Serve doughnuts (fried in oil), especially jelly doughnuts.
  • Reinforce that the one jug of oil in the ner tamid in the Holy Temple lasted for eight days.
  • If you happen to have an oil-burning menorah (rather than one that burns candles or is electric), the connection to the oil is even easier to explain.

Pretzel rod candles

Want a food + counting game to help the kiddoes visualize 8 candles?

Make a whole sheet of these fun pretzels that look like candles. My daughter made these charming treats by dipping pretzels in melted chocolate (melted in Mason jars in a slow cooker in a water bath), then placed them on parchment paper.  After that, she and friends decorated them with sprinkles or drizzled them with melted chocolate from a squirt bottle. For really young kids, their part would be adding the sprinkles.

Then have the kids count out enough to make a whole “menorah” of pretzel rods. Place the rods on flat platters or cookie sheets. If you want, add an orange or red candy to the top, as the flame. Peppermints or orange gummy rounds would work well. To make the “shamash,” ask your kids to offer ideas of what they can imagine for how to make this one taller. You’ll probably get a variety of inspired answers.

After you light the real candles, enjoy these crunchy, sweet treats.

Treat turned philosophy

Leading rabbis from the 1st century BCE, Shammai and Hillel founded schools of Jewish thought that debated ritual practice, ethics, and theology.

Shammai believed that we should light all eight candles on the first night and diminish the number of candles lit each night.

Hillel, by contrast, thought that we should light only one candle on the first night, two on the second, and build up to the total of eight candles. Hillel’s philosophy won the vote and has been handed down to us as the most popular custom.

If you have older children, you can use this treat as the basis for a philosophical discussion — even a debate. Have the two sides argue the benefits of each approach (like the famous latke vs. hamentaschen debates), with pretzels awarded for especially good points.

Or, try the Shammai concept,  set up a cookie sheet with all eight pretzels and eat one each night, so that only seven are left on the second night, six are left on the third night and so on. (To keep the rods fresh, I’d recommend covering and refrigerating them.)

Even adults will enjoy the challenge of discussing the relative merits of both schools of thoughts, especially when the debates are accompanied by these delicious treats.

How do you bring Hanukkah to life in your home?

Share your special traditions. And please send pictures of decorations, playing games, cooking together to ellen@jewishholidaysinabox.com. I’ll share them on Facebook to inspire others.

Jewish Holidays In A Box in the news

We are grateful for the reviews and thoughts from these papers and bloggers:

  • Our Jewish Homeschool Blog, “Chanukah in Box and Other Reviews,” November 18, 2013.  Read more …
  • Small Batch Studio, ”Your Hanukkah Celebration. It’s in the Box!” November 18, 2013. Read more . . . 
  • Callistasramblings.com, ”Happy Hanukkah Activity Pak from Jewish Holidays in a Box (GIVEAWAY),” November 14, 2013.   Read more . . .
  • Oogiah.com, ”Gift Giveaway – Hanukkah Bingo Game.” October 30, 3013. Read more . . .
  • Glamamamasgoodies.blogspot.com. ”Thanksgivvukah and Hanukkah Giveaway.” October 31, 2013.   Read more . . .
  • Jewish Scene Magazine, “Hot Hanukah Finds – Games And Crafts.” October 30, 2013. Read more…

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Filed Under: Blog, Cooking and baking, Hanukkah, Parents and children, Traditions Tagged With: , , ,

Hanukkah Cupcake Decorating Party

November 14, 2013 By 2 Comments

Cupcake DecorationsIf you read my vision for Thanksgivukkah, you know that I’m planning to focus on foods and colors that represent both harvest and flames: golds, oranges, and reds.

For the treats part of the meal, we’ll plan to serve jelly doughnuts, because they’re traditional – and delicious.

HANUKKAH GAMES BOX25% off Hanukkah Games Box! 1 week only. November 14 through the 20th!

 

 

 

But I don’t make doughnuts. Too complicated. So I need something easier. We’ll create edible dreidels again this year, because they’re quick and fun – and you can “nosh” on them while you’re making them.

For the more ta-da moment, though, I’m hoping to invite family and friends to a cupcake baking and decorating fiesta – because that’s a party in itself.

triple play
30% off Hanukkah Triple Play! 1 week only. 11/14 – 11/20  Use promo code TRIPLE30 at checkout.

And, in the Thanksgivvukah spirit, it is easy to bring the gold/orange/red color scheme to those cupcakes. A few extra supplies will set you up, such as red hots, candy corn, licorice, colored frosting, gold-covered gelt, pirouette cookies, and harvest-colored sprinkles.

What’s So Great About Cupcakes?

There’s a reason for the cupcake craze in this country. First, who doesn’t love cupcakes? Second, you can limit the quantity for yourself and the kids (maybe). Third, you can invite the kids to help. And fourth, there’s no limit to the imagination of what a cupcake can be.

Full size or mini. Sweet or savory. Basic or super fancy.

Want to experiment with some new cupcakes this year? Try these:

Hanukkah oil cupcakes

Yes! Now we can combine savory with sweet to create a marvelous goody. Consider these Lemon Cupcakes with Olive Oil, Sage, and Sea Salt. They sound scrumptious. 

Pumpkin cupcakes

While recipes for pumpkin-filled doughnuts are all the rage for Thanksgivvukah, I’m looking for the easier recipes. So this recipe for Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes really appealed to me. 

Jelly-filled cupcakes

You can also find lots of recipes for jelly-filled cupcakes using different techniques. This Martha Stewart cupcake recipe has us bake the cupcakes, then cut out a chunk, add the jelly, and replace the top before icing. It features chocolate frosting. (So this one is a winner for my family!)

This recipe for Hanukkah cupcakes uses a pastry bag to squeeze jam into the cupcakes.

Decorating cupcakes – the fun part 

You can easily tailor the decorations to be age-appropriate for your crew.

Your littlest ones (2 and up) can:

  • Add sprinkles
  • Press little pieces of candy on top
  • Spread smooth frosting (if they’re good with a small butter knife)
  • Embed a gold-covered piece of gelt in the cupcake frosting

Tweens and teens can:

  • Create more intricate designs using cake decorating tips and frosting bags
  • Design and make cupcake toppers using seasonal symbols (e.g., a mix of dreidel shapes, Jewish stars, maple leaves, acorns, turkeys)

NOTE: you can use some of the artwork in the Happy Hanukkah Art & Activity Pak to create your toppers, like the candle art, flame art, Jewish stars, and Hebrew letters.

The finishing touch: creating a cupcake menorah

Finally, for the big wow moment (good any night of Hanukkah), take nine of your cupcakes, put Hanukkah candles in the center of each one, and place them in a row to create a cupcake menorah! To make the “shamash” cupcake, just turn over a small glass and place a cupcake on top – so it’s higher than the others.

Want that cupcake menorah to be entirely edible? Use pirouette cookies instead of candles and voila!

What special treats are you planning to make for Thanksgivvukah?

Filed Under: Blog, Cooking and baking, Hanukkah, Parents and children, Traditions Tagged With: , , ,

Hanukkah Music Makes Any Day a Party

November 7, 2013 By 2 Comments

Bubbeh Playing PianoThis wonderful lady is my grandmother, z”l. She loved to sing and play piano. When she was tickling the ivories, her face would light up.

And we would light up right beside her.

It’s no surprise, then, that ever since I was young, I’ve believed in the power of music to set the stage for whatever I’m doing.

Our family turns on Jimmy Buffett when we play raucous rounds of contract gin. I choose peaceful classical music when I really need to concentrate. Meatloaf’s the ticket for when I need a jolt to spur me on.

And, ever since I was a little girl, Jewish and Israeli music sets the feeling for Shabbat and most holidays.

Celebrate Hanukkah with more joy

30% off “Celebrate Hanukkah: How to Light Up Your Holiday.” 1 week only. November 7 – 13. Use promo code Hanukkah at check-out.

 

 

For Hanukkah, along with the candle blessings, I like singing the “standards,” like Maoz Tzur, Mi Y’maleil (my fave), Hanukkah Oh Hanukkah, and I Have a Little Dreidel. [Words for the blessings and song lyrics for these classics are in “Celebrate Hanukkah: How to Light Up Your Holiday” and “Hanukkah in a Box Family Fun Kit.”]

Hanukkah songs set the mood

While we’re cooking and cleaning and wrapping and coloring – that’s when I like to listen to lively Hanukkah music.

I highly recommend Chanukah, A Singing Celebration with Cindy Paley.  This wonderful 16-track CD includes lovely-to-my-ear versions of the classics and the blessings – and lots more. You can even choose to buy the songs you like best as MP3s.

A compilation you might enjoy is called Celebrate Hanukkah with Debbie Friedman, Craig Taubman and Peter Yarrow. Peter Yarrow’s “Light One Candle” is a personal favorite; you can easily find the guitar chords for this online. And I’m also a fan of almost-anything Debbie, including “Not By Might – Not by Power.”

Shira Kline’s CD, ShirLaLa Chanukah! Sing and Dance,” is self-described as “outrageously hip Jewish kiddie rock.”  This one would be great fun for a group of kids, a family, or a class, because there are lots of participatory songs with children’s voices.

Hanukkah party parade

And for us, because parading is such an integral part of our celebrations, we love cranking up these Hanukkah tunes from YouTube:

Adam Sandler’s Hanukkah spoof is also very popular, though our little guys aren’t ready for it yet.

If you have musicians in your midst, get some piano or guitar music ahead of time. I was amazed at the choices when I searched for “Hanukkah sheet music.” A good source is http://JewishMusic.com which now has music you can download, as well as the piano books I’ve traditionally purchased.

Which Hanukkah songs are your favorites?

Do you prefer the traditional songs? Or the new ones? The hip-hop versions? Share your faves with us.

We’ve got a favor to ask

If you enjoyed our Hanukkah in a Box Family Fun Kit, we’d so appreciate it if you’d take a minute to write a review on amazon.com. Here’s the link: http://amzn.to/HuEkXz  This is our first year on Amazon for this kit, as well as for our Hanukkah Games Box and Hanukkah Bingo Game. So if you’ve had fun with any of these three, please help us spread the word. Thanks!!

Filed Under: Blog, Hanukkah

How Do You Feel about Thanksgivvukah?

October 31, 2013 By 6 Comments

How do you feel about Thanksgivvukah?Thanks to everyone who answered our Thanksgivvukah survey.

We thought you’d like to see the results that addressed a mix of family, timing, and celebration issues.

In general, people are optimistic about the impact on their families. 31% are very excited; 53% think it will be OK; only 16% have stronger concerns.

HANUKKAH GAMES BOX20% off Hanukkah Games Box. 1 week only. October 31-November 6. Please share. 

 

 

People are most excited about:

“Having Chanukah with my whole extended family on Friday.”

 “Having the Chanukah lights burning while we eat Thanksgiving dinner.”

“Being all together.”

“Having more time to spend with family.”

“Sharing Hanukkah with non-Jewish family.”

“Bringing the ideals of the two holidays together. It is a great teachable moment.”

People are most concerned about:

 “Not being able to get together with both sides of the family, as we usually spend Thanksgiving with one and Hanukkah with the other.”

“Hanukkah being overshadowed.”

“Not diluting either holiday.”

“We also celebrate Christmas, so we will probably get our tree that weekend, too.”

“Making sure the focus is not only about food and presents, but about Thanksgiving and family time.”

“Getting presents bought in time for early Hanukkah.”

There were also the poignant personal issues: “This is the first holiday where we’re just on our own; I recently divorced.” “My cousin who just lost her husband.”

One respondent who lives far from a Jewish population emphasized the need to plan ahead to get supplies. She also feels isolated and misunderstood – or even discriminated against. For her, the convergence contributes to the perception that they are “different” from their neighbors..

Biggest positive focus: menu planning

For people who are eager for the giganta-holiday, the biggest excitement is around the convergence of foods.

“Having latkes instead of mashed potatoes.”

“Spending time with my daughter in the kitchen blending cuisines.”

“Having latkes with cranberry sauce.”

The takeaway?

We’re entering uncharted territory.

One respondent nailed it when she answered that what “most excited” and “most concerned” her was “Sharing my faith with our friends.”

Another respondent said: “We all get along well and are tolerant of differing beliefs, but we will all be staying in our house where we do celebrate Jewish and non-Jewish traditions – although not usually at the same time!”

Please let us know how Thanksgivvukah is for your family.

And relax. Maybe. Next year, Hanukkah starts December 16th and ends December 24th.

Filed Under: Blog, Hanukkah, Interfaith, Traditions Tagged With: , ,

Hanukkah Decorations & Colors

October 24, 2013 By 6 Comments

Hanukkah Decorations & ColorsDid you know that Hanukkah, according to some research, has now jumped ahead of Passover as the most celebrated Jewish holiday in North America?

And this year, with Hanukkah and Thanksgiving coming at the same time, we have an extra opportunity to jazz up our homes with the colors and flavors of the season. I’m planning a joyous mix of oranges and reds and golden yellows to honor both the harvest and the colors of Hanukkah flames.

This year’s double-holiday raises some issues, especially for experienced decorators. Here’s one Mom’s brilliant solution:

“I love the decorating part of both holidays and the schemes conflict. I am planning a ‘Thanksgiving themed dinner table and my Hanukkah decor round about the house.” 

Hanukkah art and activities brighten your home and the festival

25% off Happy Hanukkah Art & Activity Pak. This week only. 10/24 – 10/31.

Use promo code Happy at checkout.

 

 

My vision of Thanksgivvukah

Here’s my vision:

1.  Decorating our Happy Hanukkah Banner with crayons, markers and glitter glue. (I just discovered a toddler-friendly way to avoid glitter glue clumps. Using Q-tips, we “painted” the glue into sparkling swirls enhancing its impact dramatically.) To add the Thanksgiving touch, we will add pictures of turkeys, corn, maple leaves and other symbols of the season cut from magazines. [Happy Hanukkah Banner is in the Happy Hanukkah Art & Activity Pak and Hanukkah Games Box.]

2.  Coloring the candles and flames from our menorah cut-and-color activity. This is the perfect year for our younger grandson to “light” this paper menorah, while his brother lights the real one. [Menorah Cut-and-Color Activity is in the Hanukkah Art & Activity Pak, Hanukkah Games Box, and Hanukkah in a Box Family Fun Kit.]

3.  Parading around the house – all kids and adults invited — playing musical instruments (maracas, tambourines, little drums) to the sound of one of our favorite Maccabeats’ song, Candlelight, cranked up really loud. The leader of the parade will carry a football.

4.  Snacking on the orange/red/yellow foods, like crackers, cheese, carrot sticks, and red grapes.

5.  Setting the dining room table with an orange tablecloth, napkins of orange/red/yellow (we happen to have these already!), mini-pumpkins, and golden gourds.  Down the center of the table, we’ll use eight shorter yellow and orange candles with 1 taller red one in the middle as the shamash (helper candle).

6.  Creating a Thanksgivvukah centerpiece – with the kids, of course – mixing symbols of both holidays (e.g., Indian maize, dried fall leaves, dreidels, gelt, candles).

Hanukkah Challah Menorah

7.  Recreating this menorah challah made from pizza dough, but adding a turkey body made of construction paper.

Without spending a lot of money, I believe that we can weave together the traditions of both holidays into a fun, new festival, without losing what we love about each.

What’s your vision?

Please share your plans for celebrating this once-in-a-lifetime festival.

Filed Under: Blog, Cooking and baking, Hanukkah, Parents and children, Traditions Tagged With: , ,

“Can You Explain Hanukkah to Our Students?”

October 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Spinning DreidelsSo many of us get the call his time of year: “Can you come explain Hanukkah to our students?”

I got the call when our younger daughter was in 5th grade. And the request was to explain Hanukkah as part of Christmas Around the World Day – to all five of the 5th grade classes.

Of course, I’d be glad to, I said to the teacher. And then, to myself, “Oh [bleep]. How can I keep their attention?”

Also, how could I explain in a respectful – and brief – way that:

  1. Hanukkah isn’t the Jewish Christmas; it’s a minor holiday and a fluke of the calendar that they both are usually in December.
  2. Gift giving wasn’t traditionally part of Hanukkah, but has grown to be more common in the U.S.

Once I realized that I could do that fairly quickly, I loaded up a laundry basket with our three menorahs, partially used boxes of Hanukkah candles, all the plastic and wooden dreidels we had, blue and silver ribbons, and leftover gelt.

Celebrate Hanukkah with more joy

20% off Celebrate Hanukkah: How to Light Up Your Holiday e-guide. 1 week only. October 17 – 23. Use promo code Celebrate.

What is Hanukkah?

The challenging part was how to make Hanukkah come alive in the hour we had together.

Some of the obvious choices were out: No frying up latkes. No serving doughnuts. And no fire – so no lighting candles.

After giving a short overview, I invited questions – and the hands kept flying up to ask more. (Whew!)

  1. What are Hanukkah decorations? You don’t have a Christmas tree? Not at all?
  2. What about Hanukkah candles? Are they like Kwanzaa candles? How do you light them?
  3. What’s the appropriate greeting? (i.e., Happy Hanukkah vs. Merry Christmas)
  4. Do kids get Hanukkah gifts? “My friend gets presents all eight nights. I want to be Jewish!” Oh dear. Another area to tread gently in responding.
  5. Is it Hanukkah, Chanukah, Hannukah, Chanuka – what’s with all those spellings? Ah, the concept of transliteration.

How to Play Dreidel

For me, the best part was inviting the kids to get hands on. And for 5th graders, spinning dreidels was a natural fit.

The students pushed their desks against the walls and broke up into small groups on the floor. Armed with dreidels, walnuts in shells, and cheat sheets with the Hebrew letters, they learned blisteringly fast whether they’d gotten a nun, gimel, hey, or a shin.

And no one had to teach them about dreidel competitions. Have dreidel. Will spin.

I admit. If I’d had our new “Celebrate Hanukkah: How to Light Up Your Holiday” e-guide, I would have had way less prep to do. Because every year, I have to revisit – now which way do you load the candles? And which way do you start lighting them?

If you get the call this year, with Thanksgiving and Hanukkah converging, you might want to study up a little about this rarity. I can pretty much guarantee some wide eyes if you tell them that it won’t happen again for over 70,000 years!

Please share any wonderful (or not-so-wonderful) experiences you’ve had explaining Hanukkah to students.
Filed Under: Blog, Hanukkah, Interfaith, Parents and children Tagged With: , ,
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