ideas
We’ve been trying to plan activities for Hanukkah. It’s fun starting new traditions but when you have nothing to draw from, it’s kind of challenging. Hanukkah starts Christmas night, so we’ll probably still be at my moms. One day we want to take the kids sledding and another night we plan to take them to Chicken Little – it will be Honor’s first movie in a theater, do you think he will sit still? One night I’ll make a big Hanukkah dinner with lamb, and latkes and doughnuts. And we’ll spend New Years Eve at a friends. But I’ve still got a few more days to fill. (That’s the cool thing about Hanukkah – 8 days!)
I’d like to hear what your holiday/winter traditions are?
Category: holidays 10 comments »
December 20th, 2005 at 10:49 am
You really got me thinking about these traditions and christmas I love the tree but…ahh anyway good luck! Keep the thought envoking posting up!
December 20th, 2005 at 10:52 am
We bake a birthday cake for Jesus (which could be done anytime of year really).
We spend a morning cutting out snowflakes (with saftey scissors) and other winter art projects.
We bake – cookies, pancakes (any type of cooking especially with winter ingrediants).
We take holiday pictures in the snow.
We make snow icecream.
I’ll let you know if I think of some more. :o)
December 20th, 2005 at 11:42 am
I read A Christmas Carol. And our newest tradition is that we go for a winter picnic on the Solstice, with a warm fire and hot chocolate and lots of layers.
December 20th, 2005 at 1:28 pm
Eight days sounds like so much fun!! Better than trying to pack into 2! :) We right letters to each other thanking them for special things they did for us or for certain things they shared. Also for special qualities they have and why we appreciate it. It really connects us and helps us to appreciate each other. I am sure Eden and Honor are to small for that, but it might be nice for the Hubby and you to share. It might be fun to do some Jewish baking treats. I bet I could eat good food for eight days straight!!!! ;-)
December 20th, 2005 at 4:04 pm
Excellent timing. This weeks theme at MamaSaysOm.com is “traditions.” I’ve been thinking about this a lot and have loved reading the comments you’ve already had. Can’t wait to read more!
December 20th, 2005 at 11:37 pm
Sorry…this is really long.
We open presents on christmas eve, because both of my parents have to work on christmas day. Thier jobs involve taking care of the elderly, so it’s not like the places can just shut down for holidays!
I always go to my friends house for breakfast of croissanwiches and orange juice, because my parents have had to work just about every christmas since I was 11 years old. It’s tradition at this point for me to eat there. Her mom buys croissants at costco just for that day. I generally don’t eat crossainwiches for the rest of the year, just so that they stay special for me.
We hang out and watch a movie, and wait for the town potluck to happen, and go to that. It’s such a simple thing, the breakfast over there, but it really means a lot to me that they have it.
When my great grandma was alive, I would go over to her house christmas morning to give her and my uncle their gifts, and get my stocking she made up for me. I really really miss that because it means she’s gone…and I just miss her a lot when christmas morning rolls around and I realize that I can’t go over to grandmas.
My mom and I bake up dozens and dozens of cookies, and make up cookie platters for all of our nieghbors. On christmas eve, we go and hand them out to everyone. We make huge ones for big families, and we also bake special wheat free cookies for my neighbor that has celiac, because it would be sad for her not to miss out!
Also, I usually buy a few toys to donate to the various toy drives, and my mom and I will gather a bunch of canned food items to donate to the drives. My mom also gets all employees to donate thier unwanted employee holiday turkey to the food bank. She loads up her car, and takes them all over there after work. They had about 50 turkeys to donate this year, and split it between two different places.
I think that really, anything can be a tradition if you make it into one! =]
December 21st, 2005 at 7:23 am
For Hannakah you can play spin the dreidal (dreydal) with the kids and learn a few letters of the alphabet. Don’t forget the 8 day menorah candle lighting tradition to celebrate the 8 days the sacred (holy, sanctified,) oil lasted and lasted. Celebrants say, “A great miracle happened here.” just as Christian celebrants are indicating, “A great miracle happened here when Christ became a man at Christmastime.”
When your kids are a bit older try teaching them a dance like The hora to a song like Hava Nagilah (let us come and rejoice….)
December 21st, 2005 at 7:25 am
Also – don’t forget the “gelt” the chocolate coins as rewards in the spin the dreidal game.
December 21st, 2005 at 8:20 am
I think my boyfriend and his Mom would always go work at a soup kitchen on Christmas (they’re Jewish).
I also like the idea of picking an old toy or old clothes one night and donating it to a collection.
We’re adults but we light the menorah and pig out on a latkes during Hanukkah. Are you going to purchase sufganiot (the special Hanukkah donuts) or make your own? I really want to try to make some, I hear they’re awesome.
December 21st, 2005 at 1:09 pm
Now that I’m of age, I make latkes for all my friends and we get super wine-d up.
In the more family-friendly category…my mom has a Hanukkah party for my sister’s friends, with latkes and a roast chicken. None of them are Jewish, when it started years ago they hadn’t even seen a menorah before.
My mom and I and other people from the temple in my hometown volunteer at the Friendly Kitchen on Christmas Day so the employees can have the day off.