Note NOW How To Make The Holidays Better Next Year

Christmas is always a mixed bag. Despite what you see on Facebook, I doubt that Christmas (or Hanukkah, for that matter) is blissful for everyone, every year. 

So while the holidays are fresh in your memory, why not consider how to make them better for you and your family next year? Here's how I'm going to do it:

Despite our best intentions, the holidays are rarely perfect.

Think About What Worked And Do It Again Next Year

• What presents were hits? Can you learn from those? For example, Snap Circuits (an electronics building kit) were not on my daughter's list, but she has been playing nonstop with it. Lesson for me: look for more educational activities that she'll love.
  
  
• Which activities were enjoyed the most? 
  
  
• Which foods did people absolutely LOVE?
  
  
• Who did you invite that you really would love to invite again? Or are there people you didn't invite that you'd like to next year?
  
  
• Did anyone really love something you did that you can do next year? For example, I used some of these ways to wrap gift cards and a few were a bit hit with the Teen.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Consider What Didn't Work And How You Can Change That

• What was your biggest challenge on Christmas? How can you change that for next year? For example, I really resented being The Waitress the whole friggin' day without anyone asking me for help! Next year, my husband and I have agreed that we'll be going out for Christmas dinner. That will take the pressure off me, means the people who didn't like my menu can order for themselves and we'll all have a happier holiday.
  
  
• If you have to invite someone you can't stand, how can you make the experience better? We've learned that it's easier to tolerate my mother-in-law when there are other, non-family members present; they seem to dilute the mix. So we invite friends we know tend to spend the holiday alone, to be with us. We get to spend time with them, they have fun with us, and the Voldemort is on “best” behavior in front of company.
  
  
• Are there things you did that you shouldn't do next year? For example, we have WAAAY to many decorations out this year. The living room looks cluttered and they're a pain to dust. Next year we go minimal.
  
  
• What traditions are ready to be retired? Remember that YOU make the rules for your family and you're not responsible for everyone having a good time. Change the mix up a bit if you want to and if people can't handle it, that's THEIR issue.
  
  

I'm taking notes and adding them to my Christmas card spreadsheet for next year. That way, when I take out my list, my ideas and reflections will be right there with plenty of time to take action. 

How did your Christmas go? 

A FREEBIE Kids Can Give That Adults Love To Receive

I always feel sorry for kids around the holidays, birthdays, and whenever it's customary to give someone a present. No matter how big their hearts are, they just don't have any money to spend on those they love. “Oh, it's the thought that counts,”we tell them, and that may be true, but they also know something else: that our society equates money with worth. So children still feel bad when adults take out coins and bills to buy presents and they have nothing to spend. 

Sure, kids are great at making things and older ones can re-gift one of their own possessions (jewelry, gift cards, etc.),  but I was completely ENCHANTED recently when I opened this gift from my 10 year old for my birthday:

Not only had she painted me a lovely picture in all my favorite colors, but taped to the painting was were five envelopes containing coupons she'd thought up. As you can see, they're for things like:

• painting my toes (she knows I enjoy pedicures)
• help cooking (Boy, do I need that one)
• “doing something I don't want to do”
  
  

She also stipulated that one or more “can be re-used.” BRILLIANT!

Yes, I've see coupons before, for things like “kisses,” or “taking out the trash” - thing one hopes kids would do anyway. But to have her sit down and carefully, thoughtfully think about tasks I would genuinely like help with, touched me in a way no other gift has.

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Now to help YOUR little one, please feel free to copy and/or print out this coupon that they can embellish with a drawing or sticker, fill in and give when it's customary or just because they feel like it:

And as always:

Thanks for reading!

Laugh (After Your Latkes) With These Kid-Friendly Hanukkah Jokes

What's better during this Festival Of Lights than sitting around the beautiful menorah, post-latkes? Sitting around and laughing!

So please,  enjoy these Hanukkah Jokes:

 

One Hanukkah night, the residents of a tiny village outside Budapest were scared that they wouldn't have enough latkes for everyone because they had run out of flour.

Rudi, the wise Rabbi, was asked to help solve the problem. He thought for a moment, then said, "Don't worry!  You can substitute matzo meal for the flour and the latkes will be just as good!"

Miriam looked to her husband and said, "Irving, you think it'll work?"
Irving replied, "Of course! Everybody knows Rudolph the Rab knows grain, dear."







🔯🔯🔯





Admiring the Christmas trees displayed in his neighbor's windows, Samuel asked his father, "Papa, can we have a Hanukkah Tree?"
"No, of course not," says his father.
"How come?"asks Samuel.
Bewildered, his father replies, "Well, my son, because the last time we had dealings with a lighted bush we spent 40 years in the wilderness."





🔯🔯🔯






Ethel went to the post office to buy stamps for her Hanukkah cards.  She said to the cashier, "May I have 50 Hanukkah stamps?"
The cashier asks, "What denomination?"
Ethel sighs and says, "Oy vey!  Has it come to this? Okay, give me 6 Orthodox, 12 Conservative, and 32 Reform."

Happy Hanukkah! 

8 Fun, Frugal Hanukkah Ideas

I don't get it,” said one of my son's friends. “How come I usually see a Hanukkah menorah at your house along with Christmas lights and Santa decorations on your lawn?” Gather around, my friends, and -

 Welcome To The Wonderful World of Interfaith Families!

You can celebrate Hanukkah without having to take out a second mortgage!

My husband is Jewish; I am not. We are raising our children Unitarian Universalist (or, as my husband calls it, the “I'm okay, you're okay religion” where children are encouraged to develop their own belief systems). We celebrate Hanukkah and Christmas, with Hanukkah being what we call, The Literary Holiday. The kids get books the first night we light the menorah and then they get additional presents for Christmas. 

For us, giving books keeps the cost of the holiday down and reminds the children of the value of education. Still, we're a one-income family and don't have a lot of money, so I've come up with these 

8 ideas for a fun, yet frugal Hanukkah:

• First , resist the urge to succumb to the pressure of having Hanukkah compete with Christmas. According to my husband, this is a minor Jewish holiday, so keep it in perspective. Focus on the love and togetherness instead of how much money is spent. Start traditions like “A Night In Front Of The Menorah” where you read books to each other or listen to music while enjoying each others company.  In other words, give the technology a rest.

•  Make a Family Collage to help kids remember loved ones who have passed. Purchase a large, inexpensive frame (Ikea has some great ones) and print out photos; add stickers, ribbon, etc. Tell stories of your loved ones as you make the collage. Or make a Memory Tree by writing the names of loved ones on card stock, punching a hole through the card, and adding a ribbon. Hang from any tall plant in the house.

• Agree to make a small donation to a worthy cause in lieu of gifts - what a mitzvah!

• Shop clearance, online sales, thrift stores, and at the local dollar store. Also look in Big Lots, Amazing Savings, and even drug stores.  A gift is whatever a person might want, not what retailers tell you to buy.    
  
  
  
  

  

  Hanukkah can be a frugal holiday!

  
  

• Check out websites that offer free Hanukkah gift and decoration printables such as Examiner.com;  DLTK-Kids.com; and    Torahtots.com.

• Make a Coupon Book good for things like “taking out the garbage on an extra cold night,” "doing one load of laundry," or "getting up to feed the cat."  People appreciate someone else doing their less-than-favorite jobs.

• Look for free, local Hanukkah celebrations in your neighborhood.  Even if you're not associated with a temple, these events are often open to the general public.  Check your local newspaper or JCC for details.   
  
  
  
  
• Go to your local library and rent some Hanukkah-related movies.  My favorites include:  Lambchop's Chanukah And Passover Surprise, Chanukah On Planet Matzah Ball, and Eight Crazy Nights.
  
  

May your Hanukkah be filled with happiness and peace! 

8 FUN Pieces Of Hanukkah Trivia - How Many Do YOU Know?

Lost in the midst of “all-things-Christmas” is the fact that Hanukkah is almost here.  Okay, so Hanukkah isn't as big a holiday for Jews as Christmas is for Christians, but it's still a celebration.  Since mine is an interfaith family and I am not the Jewish parent, I try to add my own spin to the traditional festivities. One way is finding trivia about this holiday and sharing it with my husband and the kids.  So I now I'd like to share with you: 

8 Little-Known Facts about Hanukkah

My family's menorah. 

See how many of these questions YOU can answer without looking!

What does the word, Hanukkah, mean?

Re-dedication. It refers to the Second Temple which was reclaimed by the Maccabees.

What did kids in Yemen go from house to house collecting?

Wicks for the menorah.

Why are children given money and presents during the holiday?

Traditionally, it was to reward them for their Torah studies.

Which nation ruled over Israel at the time of the Hanukkah story?

Syria. 

Why was the Second Temple re-dedicated?

Because Seleucid, king of Syria, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, had defiled the temple by having an altar to Zeus placed there. 

Why do families eat latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiot (jelly doughnuts) during the festivities?

Because they're fried in oil which commemorates the miracle of the oil.

What chant is traditionally sung as the Menorah is being lit?

Hanerot Hallalu.

Why is the dreidel a symbol of Hanukkah? (I LOVE this one!)

During the Syrian-Greek decrees against the Jewish people, one of the many things banned was the study of Torah. Still, the Jews continued secretly teaching and studying the Torah. When a Greek soldier appeared, they'd hide their books and pull out tops and play with their children. Written on the sides of the dreidel are the letters nun, gimmel, heh, and shin, which represent the words nes gadol haya sham, for “A great miracle happened there.” 

So that's why the dreidel is a symbol of Hanukkah!

 

I love acknowledging and celebrating my husband's Jewish traditions with my kids. It's important for children to know where their parents came from and it's been fascinating for me to learn about Judiasm and Jewish culture. I'm looking forward to taking out the menorah and celebrating Hanukkah with my family next week. And you can bet I'll be sharing the trivia above with them as we eat our latkes! 

Thank you for reading and Happy Hanukkah! 

~~

 

Sources for this post included: www.purpletrail.com, www.funology.com, www.cnn.com, and www.aish.com.

 

Some Of My Family's Favorite Books

As you may know, our family's tradition is to give books on the first night of Chanukah (we call it our Literary Holiday). We love reading and there's something truly wonderful about sitting together as a family, basking in the light of the menorah, reading. Giving books also keeps the cost down since we celebrate Christmas as well. I mean how many presents do kids really need?


So here are my reviews (with input from my family) on some of the books we received during the Festival Of Lights as well as other books we've acquired throughout the year:

• Make It Fast, Cook It Slow by Stephanie O'Dea – Usually my family is suggesting cookbooks for me, since I'm infamous for lacking skills in the kitchen. At Thanksgiving, I not only burned the sweet potatoes, but had to throw out the pan since that was destroyed as well. When my husband walked in the house he said he knew he was home because he just followed the aroma of charred food. Lately, I've been embracing my crockpot since I can throw together a meal in the morning and it's done and remains warm no matter what time family members get home. I'd seen this book at Barnes & Noble, copied down one of the recipes, and loved the simplicity of the instructions and the comments O'Dea makes after the dish, attesting to how much her kids did or did not like it. I now have it and I'll be making recipes from this book at least once a week.
  
• The Big Book Of Scrabble-Brand Games – I spend a lot of time in the car waiting for kids. Sometimes I don't want to use my phone to occupy myself. Each Scrabblegram puzzle includes four sets of seven jumbled letters, the same kind you find on a rack of Scrabble tiles. You time yourself to reshuffle the letters to spell words and try to earn the highest point score. If you like word games, it's a great book to keep in the car.
  
• Taste Of Home's Backyard Grilling – This is hubby's book. He was never a Master Of The Grill until he bought a Weber from Amazon and put it together. He has now enthusiastically embraced his primitive man-use-fire side and chose this tome. The recipes are amazing and fairly easy. My favorite is the Barbeque Hot Wings that uses hot sauce and Italian dressing.
  
• America Bible Society's Read & Learn Bible – We carefully purchased this book, which contains stories from the Old and New Testaments, for my daughter . It's just perfect for a 2^nd or 3^rd grader with lots of pictures, yet it isn't too baby-ish for her. She can read it and better yet, wants to read it. Great for home Sunday-schooling.
  
• If I Ran The School by Bruce Lansky – My daughter and I read this last night as part of her family “required” reading; turns out, she did not want to put it down. The book consists of 24 funny school-themed poems selected by Mr. Lansky. Included is one by Jack Prelutsky and if you haven't heard of Mr. Prelutsky, run, do not walk, down to your library and find works by him!  He is probably the funniest kid's poet, outside of Dr. Seuss. This paperback book is a delightful read and great to listen to as well.
  
• 365 Foods Kids Love To Eat by Sheila Ellison & Judith Gray – I bought this book hoping my son, who did not touch a fruit or vegetable for the first ten years of his life, would pick out dishes he'd like me to cook. It didn't work with him, but my daughter likes some of the recipes in here. She can read them and helps me make them. PS – Mr. “I Hate Fruits And Veggies” now eats salad, broccoli, and spinach, although the mere thought of fruit still upsets him. The kid won't even hold a bowl containing fruit salad...when he does, I'll know that girls have entered the picture.
  
• My Book About Me by Dr. Seuss – Buy this one as a keepsake and have your little one fill it out. It contains questions about what the child looks like, foods they enjoy, their hobbies, etc. I love the sections entitled “Interesting Things I Know” which asks the kid to fill in sentences like “It is __ steps from my door to the first tree and the one called “My Clothes” which asks for things like “I own exactly ___ buttons.” A great rainy-day book, it'll keep your kid busy for hours.
  
• Enchanting Classics For Children (Dalmation Press)– I'm a big fan of story books because a child can choose which story to read and you're not picking up a whole pile of books from the floor. This particular tome contains classics like “The Three Musketeers,” “The Legend Of Robin Hood,” “20,000 Leagues Under The Sea,” and more. It's a wonderful introduction to timeless stories and has lots of cool pictures, too.
  
• All's Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque – I had to include at least one book that the teen is voluntarily reading. He's was heavily into Tom Clancy books but asked for this one because he enjoys classics and finds stories of war fascinating. In only a a day, he's halfway through it. When I asked why he recommends it, in typical teen fashion, he rolled his eyes and said,” 'Cause it's good.” I'm just loving these teen years...NOT!
  

So what do we do with books after we're done with them? We donate some and I find other uses for the rest. In fact, please check back in with me for a few suggestions on what you can do with leftover books.  


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Based on the number of hits I'm seeing, I'm actually starting to generate some attention with this blog. You know about me, but I'd love to know who is reading this (apparently my husband is not and I don't have that many friends). Who are you?  Please comment!

10 Ways To Have A Fun, Yet Frugal Hanukkah

I don't get it,” said one of my son's friends. “How come I usually see a menorah at your house along with Christmas lights and Santa decorations on your lawn?” Gather around, my friends, and welcome to the wonderful world of Interfaith Families!

This year, we won't have that overlapping of religious traditions, but we will be celebrating Chanukah at the same time we're celebrating Thanksgiving. In our family, the kids get books the first night of Chanukah (prompting my husband to call it The Literary Holiday) and the rest of their gifts come for Christmas. Since my hubby is Jewish, he's in charge of choosing the tomes, wrapping them, etc. Then, each of the eight nights of The Festival Of Lights, he says the prayers as we screw in a light bulb. Honestly, after all the extended malarkey of the Yule, I welcome the simplicity of Chanukah!


For us, giving books keeps the cost of the holiday down and reminds the children of the value of education.  Still, we're a one-income family and don't have a lot of money, so I've come up with these suggestions to have a fun, yet frugal Chanukah: 

1. First , resist the urge to succumb to the pressure of having Chanukah compete with Christmas. According to my husband, this is a minor Jewish holiday, so keep it in perspective. Focus on the love and togetherness instead of how much money is spent. Start traditions like “A Night In Front Of The Menorah” where you read books to each other or listen to music while enjoying each others company.  In other words, give the technology a rest.
2.  Make a Family Collage to help kids remember loved ones who have passed. Purchase a large, inexpensive frame (Ikea has some great ones) and print out photos; add stickers, ribbon, etc. Tell stories of your loved ones as you make the collage. Or make a Memory Tree by writing the names of loved ones on card stock, punching a hole through the card, and adding a ribbon. Hang from any tall plant in the house.
3. Re-gift what you have. Is there a gift card for a store you don't go to that someone else would
   appreciate? Does one child have toys they've outgrown that they can give to another?
4. Agree to make a small donation to a worthy cause in lieu of gifts - what a mitzvah!
5. Shop clearance, online sales, thrift stores, and at the local dollar store. Also look in Big Lots, Amazing Savings, and even drug stores.  A gift is whatever a person might want, not what retailers tell you to buy.   
   
6. Check out websites that offer free Chanukah gift and decoration printables like:
      - Examiner.com (http://www.examiner.com/article/free-hanukkah-printable-coloring-pages-activities-word-searches)
      - DLTK-Kids.com(http://www.dltk-kids.com/world/jewish/hanukah.htm)
      - Torahtots.com  (http://torahtots.com/holidays/chanuka/chanfng.htm)
7. Make gifts from items found in nature. Sea shells make lovely jewelry, spoon rests, or loose change holders. Family Crafts (http://familycrafts.about.com/od/naturecrafts) shows some great gifts you can make from twigs, seeds, sticks, and more!
   
8. Make a Coupon Book good for things like “taking out the garbage on an extra cold night,” "doing one load of laundry," or "getting up to feed the cat."  People appreciate someone else doing their less-than-favorite jobs.
9. Look for free, local Chanukah celebrations in your neighborhood.  Even if you're not associated with a temple, these events are often open to the general public.  Check your local newspaper or JCC for details.  
10. Go to your local library and rent some Chanukah-related movies.  My favorites include:  Lambchop's Chanukah And Passover Surprise, Chanukah On Planet Matzah Ball, and Eight Crazy Nights.  

May your Chanukah be filled with happiness and peace!

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