I hope you, too, had an extraordinary Hanukkah! For us, we had FOUR nights of lighting candles with family who had come in from around the country. This can only happen when Hanukkah is as late as it was – and we drank in every moment.

Here are four of my aha moments:

1. Edible dreidels – 2 thoughts

   1. If you want to snap pix of the finished dreidels, best to do that right away, or they will all be munched down. Our dreidel makers this year were pretty experienced, so didn’t need much help.
   2. Change for next year: since the Nutella I used this year didn’t “stick” well between marshmallow and Hershey’s kiss, I will try frosting next year.

 

2. Hanukkah parade

When you have little ones with you, there’s nothing like a Hanukkah parade around the house with kid-friendly instruments to get some of that energy out. The 2-year-old in the group was tickled with the noise and pandemonium.

 

3. Rolled beeswax candles

This was our first year trying this – and it was a big hit! We got a box of precut beeswax in a range of lovely colors. The instructions were even easier than I’d read online – we didn’t need a hair dryer; we just warmed the wax in our hands a bit, before pushing in a wick, then rolling. It was then exciting for the kids to see “their” candles in the menorahs as they lit them.

 

4. Arts & crafts pre-planning

When we have big crowds, I post a list of the meals and munchies on the fridge to help people know what’s available.

This year, I also made a list of Hanukkah fun activities with all the supplies I needed. I knew that with our spread of ages, not every activity would appeal to everyone. By having the list handy, I could easily engage kids in what appealed to them.

Hanukkah Banner art worked great for the 2-year-old, 5-year-old, ‘rents, and grands before the other kids came.  (The banner is in our Happy Hanukkah Art & Activity Pak.)

Edible dreidels were a hit for the older kids (and made after the little ones left). Instructions on how to make edible dreidels are in our Hanukkah Parent Pack

And the 5-year-old had the honor this year of making the centerpiece. (See image at top of post. Check out how he organized the candles!)

Fun for all. Easy. No stress if someone didn’t want to participate. And I have some goodies to stash away for next year!

 

Wishing you a happy and healthy 2020!