Dear Interfaith Families and Friends,
Chanukah will be here in a mere week. The first night is December 4. Light your first candle on Tuesday night.
Chanukah in the Headlights!
Here’s an email I got from Julie on this list:
I used to have a great list of Hanukkah activities to do with the kids, and I can’t seem to find it this year. We always like to do special activities with the kids each day of Hanukkah in lieu of gifts, especially since Christmas is so centered around gifts; it makes Hanukkah special and unique.
So, here are some ideas that I’ve come up with, in no particular order: (this obviously all in addition to lighting the candles on the menorah each night!)
1. baking and decorating Hanukkah-shaped sugar cookies for our neighbors
2. delivering the cookies to our neighbors
3. going out to doughnuts for breakfast (we NEVER let the kids have them, so it’s a real treat!)
4. watching a Hanukkah movie (something on PBS, usually)
5. playing the dreidel game
6. singing Hanukkah songs (actually, making up our own)
7. art activities (Hanukkah themed coloring pages, stickers, etc.)
8. making and eating latkes
I would love to hear any other ideas you may have.
What else can you do? Let’s revisit some of suggestions from previous years.
Try some of these or make up your own and share them with us.
reading night – everyone who can read, reads aloud to the family/gathering
grandparents night – invite over someone old enough to be a grandparent and enjoy their stories
baking night – make cookies and decorate them, give some away, eat the rest
music night sing, play instruments, those who can’t sing – dance
theater night – go out to one of the many plays being performed (or ballet or concert)
crafts night – get a book on crafts or search the internet. Make paper boxes or decorations, use Femo to make ornaments or a menorah
performance night – give the kids old clothes and let them make up a play and put it on for you (as a child, our plays ran towards a western theme – cowboys and salon girls, and we cross dressed to get the role of our choice)
friends night – invite over your best friends and talk late into night
fireplace night – make a fire and toast marshmallows
games night – play all the games you know – board games, interactive games like charades
love night – everyone writes letters or cards (you can make them too) and sends them to five people they love
How about a “stuff-free holiday”?
I found an interesting website that advocted for less stuff and more pleasure. Take a look.
http://www.grist.org/article/stuff-free/
