I have to admit, I’m running out of steam on this whole 8-posts for 8 days idea.
Heavy sigh.
Anyway, tomorrow I’m actually going to the store to buy supplies. Cross fingers, wish me luck.
I miss my friend Leila. This is my first Hannukah without her. She often brought big platters of her famous marinated chicken so I might make that in her honor. I really miss her. A lot a lot.
I’ve devised a holiday survival plan for my marriage and the rest of my family life. I gave Scott a script. It goes like this: He just has to say “Honey, I understand. Your people were oppressed. It sucks that the dominant culture pretty much ignores your holiday. I appreciate your willingness to celebrate Christmas.”
I just have such a hard time every year with how invisible Hannukah is. Would it be so hard? I know, sometimes, some people make an effort, and darn it, I really appreciate that. The preschool we visited today had a big silver menorah in the window. That was nice.
As my cousin Ed said to Scott when he met him, “You know, there’s only 14 million of us left.”
I want Jonah to enjoy both Hannukah and Christmas but I’m feeling competitive as the holiday lights are going up and whatnot. To him they’re still “Halloween decorations” — his all-time favorite holiday.
We’re not getting a tree until after Hannukah is over, but we will get one. A little one. It’s a complex issue, beyond challenging, possibly impossible for me to articulate in this post that I’m pumping out at 9:00 at night while all weepy about Leila and in shock/denial about what’s in store for me Saturday morning.
I also don’t want to inundate him with presents right now. First of all, he JUST had a birthday with a huge haul of great stuff. Second, we’re budgeting. Third, he has SO MUCH STUFF already. But I want this to be fun for him. But I don’t want to buy eight cheap gifts just to give him something every night but maybe I do, maybe I have to. I have three gifts for him so far. One that he’d loved so completely in the store, he’d carried it around with him, introduced it to other animals in the store, kissed it, had it kiss me.
I had to get it.
Okay, I’ll tell you, but don’t tell him: It’s a very lifelike 6″ plastic rat. White. I hope he didn’t catch me handing money off to the cashier over his head and slipping it into the diaper bag.
Hey Julie! I laughed out loud about the plastic rat. Jonah is so darn cute! Good luck with hosting Hannukah. Oy. We’ll be doing a mini-version tomorrow with a neighbor. I was proud of my Catholic mom for getting ‘Cashew’ Ronan some Hannukah gifts. We’re trying to make it a less invisible holiday, too!
Hi Julie,
First of all, have a very happy Hanukkah and latke-fest! I’m in Scott’s position, raised with Christmas, though half-Israeli. In Encino, there’s plenty of Hanukkah action. However, I was at Target today and I only saw one bag of blue and white packaged dove candies for Hanukkah. One. No Gelt. No decorations. Nothing. Growing up in the midwest, I had no exposure. Now, though, I’m much more aware and surprised that big stores like Target have next-to-nothing.
OK–end rant!
Have a great time Saturday.