Growing up, Chanukah was always one of my favorite holidays. I’m a life-long lover of presents, so no shocker there. But as I’ve aged and the presents have waned, Chanukah remains one of my favorite times of year. It’s an opportunity to spend time with family, embrace the holiday spirit and create new traditions with our daughter.
This year, my husband and I have taken to lighting the menorah and singing the prayers nightly, hopeful that our 17-month-old bundle of energy pauses long enough to notice the flickering flames. We delight in watching her rip into presents, play with dreidels and nosh on latkes. She most likely won’t remember kicking off the holiday with Gima & Gramps on Friday night (when Gima decorated the house for the first time in some 20 years) or closing it out with Nana & Papa later this week, but somehow that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that we’re doing it – and creating traditions along the way. So much of my Jewish identity revolves around family traditions and cultural memories – I love the idea of sharing them and creating new ones with our daughter.
One wonderful thing about starting traditions is that they can easily be amended to your interests. A budding foodie? Kick off annual latke making. A devoted shopper? Encourage the munchkins to share in the delight of gift giving by helping pick out presents for parents, siblings and cousins. A big reader? Dig into any and every kid-friendly Chanukah book out there and retell the story in your own words with your toddler, tween or teen. Artists can create their own menorahs or decorate the house with homemade decorations. Channel your instincts and interests and let the fun begin.
