Happy Hanukkah! Learning About the Past Through Latkes, Literature, and Dreidel Matches for Chocolate Coins
Happy Hanukkah!
This is our second year learning about and celebrating Hanukkah as part of our holiday season. Michael is a quarter Jewish, and I think it’s neat to learn about Hanukkah for that reason. Not to mention it builds tolerance and respect for other cultures and customs if children learn about them. We light our Menorah just as proudly as we trim our tree. It’s a beautiful season to celebrate for everyone, no matter what religion.
American Girl Rebecca celebrates Hanukkah!
We began reading “Candlelight for Rebecca” from the American Girl Series at the start of Hanukkah last week. Rebecca is an immigrant Jew living in New York (in the early 1900s I believe). The story is a great tale of learning about a new culture while staying true to one’s own beliefs. Rebecca and her family celebrate Hanukkah in the book, and it was a perfect tie-in. Not to mention Little Miss had a Rebecca doll waiting for her under the tree for Christmas morning. We truly enjoyed the story and had some great conversations. I LOVE the American Girl book collections! Alex is learning so much about American history. I loved them as a young girl too.
Alex was excited to get to light the Menorah each night of Hanukkah. She doesn’t usually get to light candles! We also read lots of books about the holiday and its meaning from the library.
Tonight, I fried up some homemade Latkes for dinner and the family loved them. They turned out really good and were very authentic!
Homemade Latkes!
After supper, we played a fun-filled game of Dreidel! We re-read the rules and got out the Chocolate Gelt (money) from the Harry and David store. Alex and Ethan were both excited to play for candy! We played for quite some time and had a blast. In the end, I had 7 pieces, Ethan had 2, and Alex had 1. I gave Alex one of mine to even things out between her and Ethan and saved most of the rest for tomorrow. So fun!
Dreidel! Dreidel! Dreidel
Alex loves to play too!
Ethan was very good at the game
We learned about the past through latkes, literature, and dreidel matches for chocolate coins and had so much fun doing so. The kids learned a lot about Hanukkah, as well as about Christmas and holidays in other religions and cultures around the world. It was a brilliant light in our holiday celebrations and one we look forward to again next year.
How do you teach your kids about holidays and Christmas celebrations around the world?
Related articles
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We Wish You a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Waiting for Christmas!
Merry Christmas! While we’ve been celebrating the holiday season all month, today was the day the kids have been anxiously awaiting all year long. Christmas! Christmas Day means they could finally open the pile of presents waiting for them under the tree. It’s the highlight of a month of holiday cheer. I was just as excited as they were for them to open their surprises!
Yesterday, Alex worked hard to frost and decorate a batch of sugar cookies with red and green sprinkles and make some homemade snowman ornaments for her friends in our neighborhood. We wrapped them up in little bags with bright red paper and we set out on a walk. She was so happy to deliver her gifts and was really touched by how much her friends appreciated her gesture. Christmas is about so much more than getting presents. You’d never know that by watching TV commercials nowadays (shop more, spend more, get more). The season is about giving.
Last night, we went to a Christmas Eve service at a church in Argyle and learned all about the virtue of generosity. This tied in well with our Christmas lesson perfectly. It’s important to think of others and to give to our friends, family, and even strangers. I want my kids to realize this.. and the church service really helped. It was a song-filled, colorful, funny performance that had all of them laughing and sometimes dancing. It also reinforced our lessons on the true meaning of Christmas: the birth of Christ. We read the story of Jesus’ birth before bed on Christmas Eve as well, along with the homemade apple pie. I was happy when Ethan (Finally!!) answered correctly my question why we celebrate Christmas. I’ve been quizzing him all month and time after time he’s gotten it wrong. “Presents?” He’d guess. “Cookies?” No. Last night I asked him the million-dollar question, “Ethan, why do we celebrate Christmas?” His eyes lit up and he replied, “To celebrate the birth of Jesus!” Hooray! It only took a month, but I think the lesson may have finally sunk in! Too few of today’s children realize that there’s a deep, wonderful meaning to Christmas, much more special than Santa and his sleigh full of toys and dozens of expensive gifts under the tree. I hope these lessons resonate in my children’s for the rest of their lives. If not, I can cram them into their heads again next year. 
All Four Kids On Christmas Eve 2011
It’s way too easy to get swept into the spirit of more, more, more. I love to shop and the endless hours of commercials advertising great buys on clothes, toys, and electronics that have been infiltrating our house since September make it awfully hard not to go overboard. The kids’ wish lists got longer with each passing day and we quickly broached (and passed) our $50 per kid limit. We had to consciously stop and say we wouldn’t buy any more presents. It was hard. There were small slip-ups. Christmas morning arrived with more toys per child than we should have gotten. They did love their presents, though! Perhaps next year we’ll stick to our guns a bit more successfully.
Bella loves her new ballet bear!
Look at Bella about to steal his toy!
Ethan really enjoyed his new coloring book
Alex was so thrilled to get her much-sought-after Silvermist Fairy Doll
While we do still do Santa, we try and make that a very minor part of our holiday. The main presents are from mom and dad, grandpa and grandma, aunts and uncles, etc. Not Santa. We talked about the Nativity story and thankfulness again today, amongst the hours of play time. The kids had such a grand time with their presents as well as comparing presents with their friends and neighbors outside. Each of them received gifts they’d been pining for. Alex was overjoyed to get a Silvermist Fairy Doll and a scooter. Derek was in heaven with his pirate play set and locking treasure box. He played with it all day. Bella was so excited about her baby doll, she could barely wait to get it out of its package and played with her dolly and stroller all day long. Tomorrow we’ll start Thank You Notes for every relative who was kind enough to send them a Christmas gift. Showing gratitude for what we’re given is so important, and also lacking in our culture. They may not enjoy it now, but I hope they learn the importance of Thank You notes and continue to go out of their way to tell others how thankful they are for what they’re given. A mother can hope, right?
Pure Joy
Bella loves her dolly!
My lil' pirate is all decked out now!
I hope that next year we spend less and that the children are thankful for fewer gifts. We do say this each year and maybe one day we’ll reach that goal. It’s not the price or the number of presents that matters, but the thought and generosity behind the gift. We’ve got a ways to go. We’re not perfect though and some Target sales are just too much for my weak willpower… but we’ll try and learn from our mistakes as we grow older and gain more experience. I know the kids had a phenomanal Christmas. I did too. I think it was the best in years. May they continue to be more special and full of wonderful memories in years to come.
We wish each and every one of you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! May 2012 be full of wonders and joy. I can’t wait to see what happens next. 
The Life and Adventures of Sparkle the Elf on the Shelf
Every year, the kids anxiously await the arrival of a special visitor. He shows up shortly after Thanksgiving and sticks around until Christmas Eve. Who would want a houseguest lounging around that long? We don’t mind. Our family has been happy to know Sparkle the Elf since Christmas 2008. The kids love finding him each morning almost as much as they love reminding each other that Sparkle’s telling Santa about their misdeeds.
The first few days after Thanksgiving and Sparkle’s arrival, the kids were particularly well behaved because they didn’t want to get put on Santa’s naughty list. This lasted for a while. One day recently, though, Derek was being a real stinker and fighting with his siblings (this happens a lot). “Sparkle’s going to tell Santa on you and you won’t get any presents!” Alex reminded Derek. Derek got an evil twinkle in his brilliant blue eyes and he ran to the playroom, where he tried knocking Sparkle down from his perch with his blanket! “He can’t tell on me if he’s deaded!,” my little beast proclaimed. What a rotten little booger! Coal?
The Elf on the Shelf is such a cute tradition! The kids race each morning to be the first to spot him. There have been many mornings when Sparkle has to quickly move when the kids aren’t looking because Mom forgot to help him along the night before. Drat. I hope they have fond memories of our Christmas Elf when they grow up. I think I will. Their bright smiles, joyful laughter, and frantic morning searches followed by exclamations of success warm my heart every single morning.
Alex was a little sad today when she realized tomorrow is Christmas Eve. “Sparkle is going home, then,” she said, her eyes getting a little teary. “I’ll miss him so much.” She cried last Christmas Eve too. Christmas is a joyous morning full of love, presents, and a celebration for the birth of Christ. It’s also hard for the kids to say bye to their little friend. I’m excited for our little tradition to continue next year. May the magic continue for a long time to come.
Sparkle is very fond of hanging from the curtain rods!
Chillin' On The Solar System Mobile
Readin' and Watchin' for Naughty Kids
Ahoy, Matey!
Crazy Elf!
Sparkle Likes Camping Almost as Much As We Do
Sparkle's Excited for the Menorah Lighting Too
Squeezin' Into the Doll House...
Until Next Year!
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God Jul! Celebrating the Holidays Swedish Style!
God Jul! That’s “Merry Christmas” in Swedish. Our journey through Christmas Around the World continues this week with a stop in Sweden. The kids have had such a blast so far and this Christmas has been more fun than ever. We now have a British Christingle next to our Jewish Menorah, Christian Nativity Set, and now Swedish St. Lucia’s Crown on our counter top. Tis the season to be merry, no matter your faith or country!
We began our day by creating a St. Lucia‘s Crown from garland and candles. St.Lucia’s Day marks the beginning of Christmas celebrations in Sweden on December 13th. Traditionally, the eldest daughter wears a crown of candles and brings her parents breakfast (coffee and St. Lucia rolls) in bed early in the morning, inviting them and everyone else in the house to breakfast. Lucia bears light, representing hope and warmth during the long, dark Swedish winter. It’s a neat tradition, and one that’s taken very seriously in Sweden. Did you know there is intense competition to be a town Lucia, and even more competition to be the national Lucia? That’s pretty intense.
Alex was thrilled to be our family’s Lucia and was eager to get dressed up. She thought it was pretty awesome to wear a crown of candles, even though I only let her wear it for about 10 seconds while I took a picture. She can wear the garland all she wants but the candles make me nervous. We made our Lucia crown into a lovely table centerpiece and enjoyed the festive spirit all day long.
My Beautiful Lucia
Our St. Lucia Crown now graces our table
We love the American Girl book series, and they had the perfect book for our celebration. “Kirsten’s Surprise” is about a Swedish immigrant girl who brightens her family’s first American Christmas with a St. Lucia procession. I remember reading this book and loving it as a young girl and couldn’t wait to share it with my own daughter. She loved it too and we finished the entire novel in one afternoon! It was a great way to put all we’ve learned into perspective!
One can’t possibly study Christmas in Sweden without making St. Lucia’s rolls. We spent our afternoon mixing ingredients, kneading dough, allowing said dough to rise several times, and creating adorable curly rolls sprinkled with sugar. We read as they baked and couldn’t wait to try one! The house smelled heavenly. The St. Lucia’s rolls took a long time to make, but they’re so good! I remember eating them as a young girl… memories!
My helper
Alex sprinkles sugar on our rolls before baking
St. Lucia's Rolls ready to bake
A platter of rolls
When it comes to learning and having fun, today was a definite success. We watched several short videos on Christmas in Sweden and listened to Swedish Christmas carols. We researched Swedish Christmas traditions online and watched several St. Lucia’s Day celebrations too. We read a novel on the topic, created a St. Lucia’s crown, and tried out a traditional Swedish recipe. Our “Christmas Around the World” lap book is coming along splendidly. The kids are having such a great time and going to bed mentally exhausted, yet rearing to go again the next day. What kind of Christmas fun can Mom come up with next? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Alex's Christmas Lap Book is Coming Along Nicely!
Our St. Lucia
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St. Augustine Nights of Lights– NE Florida’s Can’t-Miss-It Christmas Attraction!
Centuries ago, the first Spanish settlers lit their windows with candles to bring some holiday cheer to the New World. Today, America’s Oldest City goes all out when it comes to celebrating Christmas. With more than 2 million lights decorating St. Augustine‘s historic buildings, majestic oaks, and beachy palms, St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights is something you absolutely must see if you’re in NE Florida during the holiday season.
I wanted to do something Christmasy this evening, and we’ve already seen the lights in our own neighborhood many times. I remembered a friend mentioning that St. Augustine really decks out for the holidays. A quick Internet search revealed Ripley’s Big Red Christmas Train, the best way to take in all the Christmas spectaculaire (http://www.sightseeingtrains.com/). Not only was it inexpensive ($7 for adults and $4 for kids 2 and up), but it was going on tonight! I talked Hubby into going, fed the kids dinner, and loaded into the Armada. Road trip! If we didn’t go now, we probably wouldn’t get a chance to go at all and this was something we definitely didn’t want to miss!
We arrived in St. Augustine just after 6 pm and the streets were packed. The trains didn’t even start till 6, but already there was a very large line. We waited outside of Ripley’s Believe it Or Not Museum for about half an hour before boarding. The lines were dense with merry tourists. By the time our train loaded and pulled out, the line stretched out to the street! The kids waited very nicely and were entertained by a balloon artist who made them balloon swords and a magic wand. Once we got up to the front of the line we got magic glasses that transformed lights into images of Santa. Pretty cool! That kept the kids happily occupied while we waited… and waited.
Bella wasn't too happy to wait in line
Waiting for the Christmas Train!
Derek and Mommy
The kids and their balloon creations
When our train arrived, we snabbed the front row and took up all the seats with our large, merry brood. The Christmas carols were joyful and our spirits were high. The kids were super excited not only for the lights, but also to ride the train. Who doesn’t love a Christmas train?
Christmas Train!
St. Augustine’s Christmas lights were truly magical! The tour was pretty thorough and we saw lots of shops we never even knew existed! It was a unique and fun-filled way to check out one of our favorite cities! More than 2 million lights accentuated the city’s beauty and reflected brilliantly off the water. Wow!
We're Riding the Christmas Train!
Alex Loved the Journey!
The ride lasted about 45 minutes and all the kids truly enjoyed it. We took a shuttle to overflow parking to fetch the Armada. It continued on to Santa’s Village, but the kids were tired and the crowds were fierce so we opted not to go there. St. Augustine’s Nights of Lights (Nov 19th-Jan 31st) was a real Christmas treat and I’m really glad we went! If you’re in NE Florida during the holidays, you really should check it out.
Christmas Lights!
HSM-74 First Annual Children’s Christmas Party
Each December, Hubby’s squadron hosts a Children’s Christmas Party. Santa arrives on a fire truck and hands out gifts, the children gorge themselves on sweet treats, and fun booths and craft tables abound. I’ve coordinated the party for the past two years, both times with great friends. This year’s party was different in several ways. First, the squadron has been renamed HSM-74, so it’s technically the squadron’s first Christmas party. Second, rather than many squadrons joining together to put on the party it was only us. This was fun, but also expensive and a whole lot of work to come up with numerous booths and tables rather than just two. The kids had a blast and the party went off very well Saturday.
The hard work and long hours paid off. Saturday’s party went off without a hitch. The games and activity tables were all very popular and we had so many great volunteers. Our OSC really came together and did so much! It wouldn’t have been posisble without all the wonderful ladies who helped out! The desert table was heaping with homemade treats and all of our guests seemed to have a great time. We transformed that huge, empty hanger into a Christmas wonderland! My kids had an absolute blast. I was so thrilled with the results that I smiled all day… and went home after clean-up to take a nap. HSM-74′s First Annual Children’s Christmas Party was a huge success. It was our last Christmas party with this squadron and one to remember.
It’s also really great to be done. My house is clean once more and yesterday was a blissful, uninterrupted day of school for the kids. I can’t wait to hear how next year’s party goes and wonder where we’ll be for ours. I love our party keepsakes and the kids love their party memories. I came away with even more, I think. I made some great new friends.
So.. that’s what we’ve been up to and why we’ve been out of the picture lately. Friends and family, you’ll no longer be ignored. The perfectly perfect Christmas party is over and it’s time for life to go on.
My Handmade Entrance Sign
Alex and I made helicopter-shaped gingerbread cookies!
The MWR donated a bounce house!
What's a party without Santa on a Helicopter?
The picture frame craft was a hit!
Face painting!
Derek and his prizes
Hubby and the Kids at the Children's Christmas Party
Derek Hangs Out With the Winter Blow-ups
Hubby and kids at Sugar Cookie Station
Hubby and Bella
Bella and I
Here comes Santa!
The kids and Santa (Bella would have nothing to do with that)
Merry Christmas!
Deckin’ the Halls and Sprucin’ the Walls for the Holiday Season
Decorating the house for Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love the aromatic smells, the deep and vibrant colors, and the sparkly ornaments. I love the feeling of warmth and happiness that fills our home and the Christmas music and movies that come on only once a year. Most of all, I love seeing the joy and splendor in my children’s’ eyes as they help make the house a magical place.
The pièce de résistance of any Christmas display is the tree. We put ours up on the day after Thanksgiving and strung the lights, but got busy and left the ornaments for a quiet moment. That moment came this evening. It wasn’t quiet, really, but it was special. We waited for Bella to go to bed and cracked open the box of ornaments. The three older kids merrily bunched lots of ornaments all over the bottom half of the tree and I put the more delicate ornaments near the top. Derek spent most of his time ringing jingle bells. Good thing I’m not easily annoyed after 4 kids!
I love how most of the ornaments end up on one bottom, front section each year. I wonder what the kids will think of the pictures when they’re older? I for one think they’re precious.
Derek finds just the right place for an ornament
Alex has been asking to hang ornaments for weeks! Look, Mama!
Ethan sorts the "good" ornaments from the "ugly"... according to him anyway
Mommy and Derek
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here! The indoor lights are glittering from the window panes and the tree boasts a few presents now. There’s a fire twinkling from the tv screen (no fireplace for us) and a sweet Christmas candle burning on the bar. Christmas kid art is beginning to decorate our house and Christmas books grace our library book bag too. It’s that time of year! I love Christmas and the warm, loving feelings it brings. What are you doing to celebrate the holidays this year?
Happy holidays!
Our Little Tree
