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| Hanukkah at a shopping mall |
Don't Compete with Christmas
Christmas is Christendom's biggest holiday. Hanukkah is a relatively minor Jewish holiday. They are simply very different. Trying to recreate Hanukkah would only create more envy among impressionable young children. Let your children admire your neighbors lights. Explain to them that this is a special day for their friends, but it is not our holiday. I have actually compared Christmas to Chinese New Year: a fun, happy holiday that belongs to a different culture. Believe it or not, it works!
Make Hanukkah Celebrations Fun!!
Use brightly colored candles in your menorah. Have your children make Hanukkah crafts and decorations and display them around the house. Have the children help making latkes (traditional potato pancakes) or other Hanukkah treats. Play dreidle (a fun game using a special Hanukkah top). Sing Hanukkah songs. If your local shopping center hosts a candle lighting celebration, take the family to enjoy the festivities. Just as important: have a good time yourself!
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| "Dreidle,dreidle, dreidle" |
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| "Don't let the Light go out!" |
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| Light the Hanukkah lights |
Make Hanukkah Jewish!!
That may sound silly but it isn't at all. Learn the candle blessing in Hebrew, if you do not already know it. Use Jewish symbols when you decorate. Men and boys should wear kippot during the celebration. Attend synagogue services and chant Hallel. The Macabees fought for our right to live as Jews in a world that tried to destroy us and our way of life. Hanukkah presents an ideal opportunity to share with our children this priceless heritage.
For you and all those you love, I wish the blessings of freedom, the joy of Hanukkah and the light of Hashem's presence. Hanukkah sameach!
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