Long time no blog, well there's no better time like the holidays, right?
Put on your yarmulke it's time for Hanukkah!
Put on your yarmulke it's time for Hanukkah!
While
the much of the world, and most of the BCS, is getting ready for Christmas, a
few of us are celebrating a lesser known minor holiday known as Hanukkah. For
those less familiar with the holiday, here's a little background...
This
year especially is unique because for the first time since 1888 that Thanksgiving
and Hanukkah coincide and thus creating a holiday fusion of epic proportions. Here’s
a nugget of wisdom from one of my favorite Rabbi’s, Matt Rosenberg, the
Director of the Texas A&M Hillel Foundation, “I like to think of Thanksgiving as a profoundly Jewish
holiday since it involves giving thanks and gratitude to G-d (and the word for
turkey in Hebrew is Hodu, which also means thanks!) And with the holiday
of Hanukkah, we are celebrating religious freedom for everyone, much like the
pilgrims were celebrating upon their arrival on this continent.”
Like Thanksgiving (at least the spirit of it, not necessarily what had followed), it gives us a chance to express our love, thanks, and gratitude
for the blessings in our life as well as spend time with our loved ones. The
Hanukkah tradition, like Judaism as a whole, has evolved and is celebrated in
various ways, but regardless of whether you light the candles every night or not,
it’s a time to reflect on where we have been, where we are going, how we can collectively
best perform the mitzvah (good deed) of tikkun olam (repairing the world), and your personal
relationship with G-d.
So,
here's to all of my fellow Jews and honorary hebrews. Happy Hanukkah and many
more from the Krugel clan. May the warmth and glow of each candle you
light make your heart and home happy and your Hanukkah bright it’s the Festival
of Lights! Shalom - Peace to you at Hanukkah and always.
We had planned on sending out
tacky Hanukkah cards this year however due to family illness and well, Hanukkah
being in November, we ran out of time. However here’s my formula for a
Hanukkah-rific holiday card:
1 Part
adorable puppy:
1
Ridiculously tacky, yet amazing, Hanukkah puppy sweater
Lots of
shiny Hanukkah wrapped over sized boxes to use as a background
A few
fabulous sweaters for the doting Mom and Dad
An awesome
photographer and Voila!
Since we don’t have any kiddos
quite yet, any future cards will definitely be featuring our furry munchkin!
