HAPPY HANUKKAH 2023
Yes, Hanukkah did begin last Thursday night. But it runs for eight nights, with the last one coming up this Thursday. So I’m not late to celebrate it here on INAM; I’m right smack dab in the middle of the festive holiday, when perhaps someone else will need a little reminder.
And I had all kinds of juicy topics to cover in this e-zine last week, so this is the first chance I’m getting to wish you all a Happy Hanukkah.
As you may know, Hanukkah is meant to celebrate our heritage in a happy way, as opposed to our heavier high holy days in the Fall, when we atone for our sins of the past year.
This year, though, with all the sadness in the world right now, especially the horrors that have taken place in Israel, the occasion has more gravitas than ever. So I feel that we all need to keep that situation in mind.
On a lighter note, I have a little Hannukah tale for you. Even though I had scheduled this column a long while ago, and kept checking the date to make sure I was ready for the holiday to begin on December 7, and was deciding between my two menorahs—the one with sports balls or the crayon box design, (guess which one won this year—answer at the bottom,)—I was wholly unprepared for Thursday night.
All of a sudden, as dusk was approaching, it hit me. I found my winning menorah in a nano-second, (which is shocking amidst all my clutter,) but then I had to scour every corner and cabinet of my kitchen for a box of Hanukkah candles! (I sometimes buy two in one year, to be ready for the next—this year is the perfect example of why.) But no boxes were to be found. So I looked in the junk drawer for some loose ones, just in case. Occasionally, a box from a previous year will have an extra one, so it finds its way into that drawer. (As just about everything seems to! Am I right? I found a treasure trove in there last week!)
I came up with two possibilities for the first night. (I didn’t know if they were really Hanukkah candles or just hefty birthday ones!) One was bent at the waist, but I sort-of engineered it together, and Mr. X and I went ahead with the prayer while we lit these two emergency whatevers. (And he’s not even of my same ethnic persuasion. He just does it to support me.) It was a Hanukkah miracle that I found anything at all suitable for the occasion!
I had plans for two nights later with one of my besties, Laura, who always seems to have extra everything! (Let’s put it this way—more than one gallon of high-end skim milk has graced my freezer courtesy of her!) So I asked if she had an extra box of the colorful lights because of my timely error. And she answered that—she, too, had been using birthday candles!!! (Great minds…) I’m sure some of you can relate to this tale. [Note: Perhaps more than some, actually—the hostess at the party Laura took me to on that third night showed me that she, too, was using bday ones! That makes three out of three of us!]
So I went to a market at midnight on the second night of Hanukkah and bought boxes of candles for both Laura and myself, and one extra, as well, in case another friend had been forgetful in these hard times. (I wish I had known that the party hostess I was meeting the next night needed it!)
But the funny thing is that I ran in to the happening market and bought those Hanukkah candles in…my Ugly Christmas Sweater! One you cannot miss! No wonder everyone was staring at me in there. The dichotomy of the situation must have amused (or confused) them.
I feel I need to close this out with the serious side of this holiday. I hope that everyone, whether or not this is your holiday, will please spare a thought for what the many less-fortunate Jewish people are going through this year. I’m praying that the heartbreaking Israeli conflict will be over soon.
And for all of us who have not been directly affected by the horrors, perhaps light one of your candles this year for the many who have been.
No matter what, though, I wish everyone who celebrates a very Happy Hanukkah. Stay safe!
I almost forgot—the answer as to which menorah I chose is: my sports balls one! It goes with most of my television-watching choices these days!
