Everything about December is so wonderful. It’s the craziest, most festive time of the year. All the shimmering lights, the fresh and chilly winter air, the hustle and bustle of everyone running around the city make for a great time of year! And to add to all that craziness, I get to celebrate my favourite holiday of all—Hanukkah! Hanukkah is such a fun and happy holiday! It’s a great excuse to get the family together, eat loads of delicious food, and spoil the kids rotten with gifts!
Since Hanukkah is eight days long, it means eight times the amount of preparations, food, get-togethers, celebrations, family and gifts that people have for Christmas! But I love every minute of it—it means my happiness and cheer can last for a very long time! AND it means I get to eat latkes and chocolate gelt for eight days!
Now that I’ve been celebrating Hanukkah for a long time, I’ve got this whole “8 days” thing down pat. So I thought I’d share some of my holiday wisdom with everyone. I call it “The Eight Helpful Hints for a Happy Hanukkah”!
Hanukkah Hint #1
If you want to have a Hanukkah party decide on your date far in advance. Everyone has friends and relatives that want to get together with them for Hanukkah, but if you invite them in advance, you’ll be sure to have everyone show up.
Hanukkah Hint #2
Sometimes it’s actually easier to have more than one Hanukkah party. Instead of having one big one, where you have all of your friends AND family, maybe try having two smaller ones, one for friends and one for family. That way you make sure you spend time with your family and your friends, and you don’t have to divide your attention. Not to mention that it’s a lot easier to make less food, and clean up from a smaller party than a bigger one!
Hanukkah Hint #3
When trying to figure out what gifts to buy for your kids, a great way to subtly figure out what they want is to take them to the mall! Make up some excuse for why you want them to come with you. Make sure to pass by some of their favorite stores and casually ask if they want to go in. When they do, keep a distant watch on what they look at. See what they show an interest in, and then come back a little later in the season when all the sales start and grab that gift. They’ll never believe how you magically guessed what the perfect gift would be for them.
Hanukkah Hint #4
Hanukkah can get costly, what with all the food, gifts, decorations, and holiday parties. Cut down on some of your expenses when it comes to gifts for the adults. Instead of all the adults in your family buying each other gifts, suggest a “Secret-Santa” type thing for your family to do—but maybe call it “Secret Macabee”—and make the limit under $20. That way it’s something fun for the adults to do, but doesn’t really add too much to your VISA bill at the end of the month.
Hanukkah Hint #5
There’s always that Bubby, Zaidie, 5th cousin, or great-aunt that’s angry at you because you haven’t seen them in who knows how long, but it’s hard when they live out of town! Don’t forget to give them a call on Hanukkah and wish them a happy holiday. And even better yet, try and send them a gift basket to make up for it! Sometimes it’ll make them forget all about the fact that you’ve been bad about visiting or calling.
Hanukkah Hint #6
If your parents or grandparents are the, as we call them here, snowbirds of the family, and will be gone before Hanukkah, try and do something small with them in celebration of Hanukkah before they leave! They’ll probably want to give the kids gifts before they leave, and this way they’ll feel their gifts are appreciated by being invited over for a nice meal.
Hanukkah Hint #7
When you are invited to someone else’s Hanukkah party, make sure to offer if you can bring anything. Chances are, they’ll say no (what Jewish mother doesn’t make enough food?). If they do say no, don’t bring anything! The last thing the host wants is even more leftovers than there are sure to be.
Hanukkah Hint #8
Enjoy your Hanukkah and take it all in. Don’t let the stress of the get-togethers, the gifts, and the planning take over what Hanukkah should be about—fun, happiness and cheer! If it’s all too much, just take a breath and cut back on what you were planning to do!