Evangeline's class made little Stars of David (I still want to say Star of Davids!) for the holiday.

[conuly]

And also to practice identifying triangles and words that start with the letter S, of course. She was very excited to tell me it's a "Dooiss" star, and I corrected her with the phrase "Star of David" - yes, Ana, David like David in your class, but not exactly.

It's interesting how these things stick with you. She swung her star a bit, Evangeline, and said "Hanukkah, Hanukkah", so I pulled her on my lap on the rocking chair and sang "Oh Hanukkah" with her, which we sang *every* year during winter when I was in Brooklyn. (We had more Jewish students in my class than I think either Ana or Evangeline does now, so it made more sense, but whatever.) And when we moved to Staten Island, the schools here didn't do that, they had other songs they did. So it's been a good 16, 17 years since I've sung or heard this song - but I was still word perfect.

Clicky!

Of course, when Evangeline was a baby I used to entertain myself by going "Oh, baby, baby, baby, I made her out of clay, and when I'm good and ready, with baby I shall play", which... didn't make sense even then, but it's a catchy melody to be sure. When I was a kid, they'd hand out these little plastic dreidles for us at the Holiday Party (or around Hanukkah if it was very early in the month, and then our party would be at the end of the month), and those chocolate coins, gelt. And now they sell those chocolate coins with Santa on them, presumably for Christmas, which just strikes me as either the ultimate in cross-cultural sharing or WRONG WRONG WRONG VERY WRONG. Not sure which.

Comments

[conuly]

The early Christians already railed against the assimilatory custom of putting up lights for winter. Why should the light of the world do that like the pagans? BECAUSE IT'S FUN, THAT'S WHY.

[leora.livejournal.com]

But why don't Jews generally? It's just as much fun if you're Jewish, and we actually have a festival of lights.

[conuly]

Why ask me? Out of the two of us, only one of us is actually Jewish and might actually know this stuff.

*thinks*

Actually, I suppose I might have known it, because you just pick this stuff up. I know about a surprising number of Catholic saints, for example, and I've yet to figure out WHY.

[leora.livejournal.com]

I'm more railing at the sky. Although, in all honesty, my family wouldn't have put up lights even if we were Christian. We didn't celebrate holidays that required that type of effort. Sure my parents fast for Yom Kippur (unless there is a medical reason not to), and we had separate Passover plates and 8 days of missing french toast, and full really long sedars. But we didn't celebrate Sukkot, because despite it being one of the coolest holidays in existence, it takes a lot of effort of a far more physical sort. I would have been content with not doing it every year, but now and then would have been nice. We did celebrate Purim, but just in a go to the temple's holiday party sort of way.

Although I'm really glad I didn't have to celebrate Christmas every year. I quite like participating in a Christmas celebration now and then. I've enjoyed a few of the ones I've been to. But celebrating it every year is just way more often than I like, and then I find it incredibly annoying rather than fun. I've already gotten to decorate a tree at a friend's house, and I liked it, but I would find it tedious to do annually.

Much as I like Halloween, but I don't want to celebrate it every year. I can't really think of any celebration that I want to celebrate every single year. New Year's comes closest, but that's just because if I had the money and willingness, I could celebrate by going to a party in Kentucky that would have some of my friends that I don't get to see too often at it. But even that, I'm not sure I'm up for it every year, and I'm skipping this year.

Although someday I should decorate eggs. I've never done that. Although for missing holiday experiences, I'd still rather build a sukkah and decorate it. But I have built forts and I have gone camping.