8 Bright Lights for 8 Nights of Chanukah

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What I wrote to my congregation today…

1. Make a menorah. We have a collection of purchased ones and ones we have made over the years. It has been such fun to unpack them in our new home and remember where each one is from. This year I want to try to make two. One a new friend found on pinterest for menorah made out of clementines.  It is supposed to smell divine! thttp://designadventure.blogspot.com/2008/12/tangerine-menorah-for-hannukah.html and another one like I saw in the Spertus catalog made out of glow sticks.
You can use almost anything. Lifesavers, nuts and bolts, clay, marshmellows, tinker toys, two liter pop bottles. Be creative (but be careful with the flames!)


Sarah’s Marshmellow Menorah made as a demo for Hebrew School last year. We loved how the gumdrops sparkled and glowed in the sunlight.
2. Try reading aloud at the dinner table while the candles are burning low. I especially enjoy Zlateh the Goat and the Power of Light by IB Singer. Read a book of Jewish non-fiction. Something that Faye Kellerman wrote or Howard Fast. He wrote one called the Five Brothers about the Macabees. There is a new Maggie Anton book I want to read as well.

3. Try out the fried food of a different country. No reason to just have latkes and sufganiyot. How about lemon fried chicken from Italy, stir fry from China, samosas from India, sopapillas from Mexico. Just don’t go see your cardiologist the next week.

4. Make sugar cookies. The Torah School moms did yesterday. Boy were they yummy!

5. Share the beauty of the holiday with your non-Jewish friends or family. Invite them over to watch the candles and play dreidle. Make up funny verses to “I Have a Little Dreidle”… like I Have a little dreidle I made it out of soap…Simon challenged us at dinner recently. The Yiddish dreidle was made out of what?

6. Dedicate one night to Tzedakah. Bring your warm winter coats here. The Social Action Committee will thank you! Work at a soup kitchen. Donate toys to the Crisis Center. Adopt a family off a giving tree. Look at the end of the year appeals that come in and decide as a family how you want to spend your tzedakah monies. The Reform Movement has been doing this for years and calling it Ner Shel Tzedakah.

7. Sing songs–come join us on December 14th as we sing our hearts out. OR use the attached sheet to sing at home. There are some great new clips as well on Facebook and YouTube. The kids seem to love the Macabeats an a capella group out with a new hit. Try this link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/hanukkah-tunes-the-maccabeats-newest-miracle-video/2011/12/20/gIQA3kP86O_blog.html

Not your style? There is new music out by Julie Silver, Rabbi David Paskin whose new album came out last week, https://t.co/nsyBeXaZ and many more. We are not limited to “I have a little dreidle” any more.

8. Enjoy. Have fun. No matter how you spell Hannukah (or Chanukah, Hanukkah, Chanuka, etc) Remember, this is a minor festival dedicated to our joy and gratitude that we survived 2000 years ago and are still surviving.

One thought on “8 Bright Lights for 8 Nights of Chanukah”

  1. Margaret, I love it! Especially No 1 and No 5. It was always a joy to be asked to share Chanuka with you. Sarah’s creativity is charming in No.1! I will try to read an appropriate book, too. Have a Happy Chanuka! Love and miss you!

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