My Jewish upbringing has always been a large part of my life. It’s not that I went to synagogue every Shabbat or that I continued Hebrew School past having my Bat-Mitzvah, but more in the fact that it was embedded in my soul.
I went to a Jewish sleep-away camp, I always make sure our house is stocked with matzoh ball soup when the kids are sick, and it’s in my blood to use Yiddish words whenever I can, such as “keppie’ as in, “let me kiss your keppie (forehead) before you go to sleep,” and “schlep,” as in “did we need to schlep back downstairs to get your stuffed animal when it was on your bed the whole time?”
The one thing that has always been important to me is keeping traditions alive and creating new ones with my family. Chanukah has always been a holiday that I loved growing up, and I wanted to make it just as special for my kids.
Here is my step-by-step guide to my family’s traditional Chanukah celebration. If you are looking for new Chanukah traditions, feel free to use the ones you want, and ignore the rest!
Step 1
A few weeks before Chanukah, we put on the Chanukah music (Adam Sandler’s Chanukah song is still a fan favorite) and put up some Chanukah decorations. My kids like the Chanukah gel clings for our windows and some Chanukah signs; think “Eight Crazy Nights” and “Happy Challah-Days” signs. We pull out our menorahs, dreidels, and usually a bowl of gelt (chocolate coins), which will live on our window sill for the next few weeks.
Step 2
Because there are eight nights of Chanukah, it can be challenging (as well as a lot of pressure on the parents!) to make each night as special as the next. On the first night of Chanukah, we like to cook a traditional Jewish Chanukah meal. My daughters usually help my husband make latkes, and we slow-cook a brisket. We also eat noodle kugel and matzoh ball soup. During dinner, we put on Chanukah music (again, think Adam Sandler), and after dinner, we play a few rounds of dreidel by the fire. Somehow, my husband and I always lose the game of dreidel, and our children eat a bag of gelt each!
Step 3
We make sure to light the menorah each night before we open the presents. (Rookie move is attempting to gather the kids to light the menorah after we open presents; peeling three kids away from new toys is next to impossible). We talk about why Chanukah is important and what we are celebrating; think Maccabees fighting King Antiochus IV to be able to practice the Jewish religion, and a candle filled with oil that was only supposed to last one day lasted eight! Each of my daughters has their own menorah (either made in preschool or we’ve since bought them. AKA – the emoji menorah that my ten-year-old likes!), and they get to put the candles in each night and light with our help.
Step 4
Growing up, my parents usually gave my sister and I one or two big presents for Chanukah. I had friends who received a present every night, and I envied those families. Although I was always overly satisfied with my gifts each year (a Nintendo, a new TV, a new walkman, etc.), getting a present every night would be much more fun. I decided to introduce this tradition into my own family when my oldest was just about old enough to open her own gift (and then only play with the wrapping paper, not the present). Yes, 24 presents is a bold move but they don’t all have to be knock-em-out-of-the-park type presents. I also encourage my girls to buy one another gifts for one of the nights. They love picking out a present for their sister, which gives them ownership for one of the nights of Chanukah.
Step 5
A tradition that was taken from my husband’s family when he was younger is hiding each present and playing the ‘hot/cold’ game to help the kids find them. This is one of their favorite things about Chanukah traditions, and on the night that my daughters exchange the gifts they bought one another, they love finding a hiding spot for the gift they are giving. Favorite spots include but are not limited to under the couch, under the cushions, under a blanket, behind a decorative pillow, and in the fireplace (PSA to all parents, remove present before lighting the fire).
The nice thing about Chanukah traditions is that we can keep adding new ones as the kids get older. This year, I’d like to introduce having a night dedicated to giving back. I will have each child pick a person or place they would like to donate money to. Although my three and six-year-old don’t truly understand what ‘donate’ means, they know that there are people in the world that may have less than us or may need help, and teaching them to give back in any capacity is a wonderful learning experience.
Holidays are a perfect way to bring a family together, celebrate your heritage, and make new traditions while helping others. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t have your own family traditions yet. There is never a bad time to start a new tradition, many of which you won’t even realize are ‘traditions’ until your children remember them and mention wanting to do them each year.
