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Festival Of Lights

The Leib family turns their home into a Chanukah wonderland.

ynn Leib remembers her childhood days when
a non-Jewish friend across Philadelphia Street
in Detroit would invite her over to see her
Christmas tree and decorations.
"I remember standing in awe," says the West
Bloomfield grandmother. "It's something that happens
to a lot of Jewish kids. I decided I didn't want my kids
to stand in envy. I decided I'd transfer that festive excite-
ment to Chanukah."
And she has. Her home is a veritable winter won-
derland, populated with smiling dreidels pulling
small sleighs piled high with tiny presents
wrapped in Chanukah paper.
Her stuffed snowman doll wears a blue
and white scarf and holds an Israeli flag.
Her snow globe features a dad in an
armchair reading Chanukah stories
to his young children while a
menorah burns on a nearby
table.
Even a teddy bear
wears a dress made
from Chanukah fabric.
"I've been collecting for
10 years — everything is
Chanukah appropriate," she
says. The Leibs have four chil-
dren and four grandchildren.
She says her grandchildren enjoy the spectacle, espe-
cially the younger ones who also look forward to the
annual treat of making Chanukah cookies with grand-
ma. And each year, Leib and her husband, Sid, host a
large traditional Chanukah party.
There's no denying the Leibs have found their own
way to make the Festival of Lights festive.
— Keri Gute-n Cohen,
story development editor

Below: Blake Rubenstein, 3, and her sister Dalia, 5, help their
grandmother Lynn Leib light the menorah candles as Grandfather
Sid Leib looks on.
Bottom: a few of the Chanukah items Lynn has collected through-
out the years.

aj

12M
2003

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