Our December Dilemma

Hi gang! It’s Mommy Blogger Michelle here to tell you about my family’s tradition of celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas and to explain a little about the background behind Hanukkah. When people find out I celebrate both, most people automatically assume that I celebrate Hanukkah because my husband is Jewish. However, that is not the case.

I converted to Judaism on my own 4 years ago this Hanukkah season. It was a decision that was a long time coming, but had taken me a while to get up the courage to go against everything I was raised with (I was raised in a Catholic family) and start learning about the religion. Once I started learning about Judaism, I just knew that it ‘fit’ me. It was the only thing that seemed to make sense to me, and I embraced it 100%.

By the time I decided to convert, though, I already had 3 kids. That proved tricky. The first Synagogue I tried to convert through wanted me to convert my two oldest boys, who were 9 and 7. I knew that was something I wasn’t comfortable with, because I didn’t want to take everything they knew away from them. After searching, I finally found our current Synagogue, one who is very welcoming to everyone — especially interfaith families.

Currently, I’m raising my two youngest children, Sophie who is 4 and Peyton who is 2, as Jewish. Since they’re still young, we only go to Tot Shabbat when we can, and Sophie goes to Hebrew school once a month. Peyton will go next year when he’s three. We go to Synagogue sponsored activities when they fit in our schedules, and Hanukkah is one of our most FAVORITE holidays.

So what exactly IS Hanukkah?

Basically, because of a revolt between the Jewish people and the Syrian-Greeks, the Jewish Temple was up for grabs. Even though they were outnumbered, the Temple was ultimately recaptured by Judah Maccabee and his troops (the good guys) in 167 BCE (before common era).

The Temple Menorah was rekindled on the 25Th day of the Jewish month of Kislev. Only one jar of the special oil was found. This would only provide a flame for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, giving us the eight days of Hanukkah. This is also why it is traditional to eat foods fried in oil, such as potato latkes, or jelly doughnuts.

Several activities take place during the day days of Hanukkah. Gifts are given, dreidels are spun, and special foods are enjoyed. But most important is the lighting of the Menorah. Typically, there are eight candles with a taller middle candle called the ‘shamash’, or servant candle, since the flame from this candle is used to light the others.

On each night of Hanukkah, an additional candle is lit. One on the first night, two on the second night, and so on. The eight candles correspond to the eight days of the miracle.

I have a lot of people ask me what the deal is with the dreidel, what the Hebrew letters on the sides of the dreidel mean and how you play with the dreidel. It’s fun and easy! The dreidel is just like a top, but with a Hebrew letter inscribed on each of its four sides: Nun, Gimmel, Hay, Shin. These letters together form an acronym for Nes Gadol Haya Sham or A great miracle happened there, referring to the miracle of the oil that took place in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Although my family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, we make time to celebrate both equally. We love the simplicity of the Hanukkah holiday. With Hanukkah, it’s not about the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, finding the perfect Christmas present, or all the stress that gets caught up in that holiday. It’s just much more laid back and symbolic. The one thing that I like about celebrating Hanukkah is that it’s one holiday that is all mine. It’s a holiday that no one else in my family celebrates, so I get to create my own traditions and my own memories. That’s pretty neat!