Tuesday, December 4, 2007

The First Night of Chanukah

There is a lot to like about Chanukah. It's bright, festive, and the food is satisfying and fattening. In our family we make a special effort to make the holiday fun. Each night we try to invite someone else over. We light candles, eat a different fried food, tell a story, and try to banish the cold and dark.

For me, that's what the holiday is all about. I've always found the story a bit confusing. It's sometimes hard to figure out who the good guys were and I'm not always sure it was our side. Who can argue with latkes and suvganiyot (potato pancakes and doughnuts for the uninitiated). We tend to substitute other stories that we have collected over the years for the Judah Maccabi tale. Isaac Bashevis Singer and Sholem Aleichem's tales of Chelm are personal favorites.

Tonight we were out at my mother's hopefully bringing some joy to her. She seemed to appreciate our visit.

I'm looking forward to the coming days.

No comments: