Gift Guide

Creating
Chanukah Memories

Stop & Shop

Family traditions can replace
an out-of-control gift exchange.

BY RABBI CHERIE KOLLER-FOX

and made figures out of clay. Now
hen our children were
small, they would look that they are teens, our kids get
together and make a dinner for their
forward to Chanukah
friends.
each year. They loved
the candles and latkes and, of
Music Night
course, the presents. Soon, they were
We invite friends over who
rushing through the candles to get
•
play
instruments and who like to
to the presents and had no patience
sing. Then we spend the evening
to sing songs or even play dreidel.
singing, playing dreidel games and eat-
The present exchange got quickly
ing latkes.
out-of-control with three children
and eight days.
Tzedakah (Charity)
What inevitably happened was
•
Night
that the evening, which started out
On this night we do some-
with great excitement and anticipa-
thing for others. When the children
tion, often ended badly. A toy would
were small, we bought gifts to donate
break or someone got something
to a Christmas toy campaign or sent
that someone else had wanted, and
money to the Jerusalem Post Toy
the tears would begin to flow. It sim-
• Fund. Now that they are older, we
ply wasn't fun or in the spirit of the
can serve dinner at a shelter or work
holiday. We decided we'd had
at
a food bank. These outings might
enough!
be
combined with another favorite,
Some years ago, we sat down with
Movie Night, when the whole family
the children before the holiday and
goes to the movies together.
made a list with them of how we
wanted to celebrate each night. We
Big Present Night
didn't completely get rid of presents,
• We give each child one big
but we did feel better about what we
present.
are teaching our children. Over the
past decade we have had wonderful
Book Night
Chanukah celebrations and have cre-
ated traditions that are now part of
• When they were younger, we
would buy each child a story-
our family rituals—and no more
book and spend the evening reading
tears! Here are eight of our favorite
the books out loud and telling
Chanukah happenings!
Chanukah stories. Now, we buy the
family a video we've all been wanting
Friends and Fire Night
or
a piece of software.
•
We build a big fire in the
fireplace and invite friends
/ Tickets Night
over whose children are our chil-
dren's friends. Then we plan a fun
414 sr We pick a cultural event such
as a concert or a play that we
activity. One year, our children each
would like to attend as a family then
got to make and eat a pie of their
we purchase the tickets.
own design. Another year, we cov-
ered the tables and had Art Night,
where the children painted murals
CHANUKAH MEMORIES on page 9

2

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tIN

11/30
2001