Emily H your decorations and table look wonderful. Happy Hanukkah.

No.

( menorah is traditionally put on/next to the window so that the light will be seen from outside)

Happy Chanukah, everybody who celebrates!

Perhaps this is why main stream is not as aware...Chanukah couldn't be as commercialized!! Blessings!!

Oh wow.. that looks lovely!

Unfortunately, no. Like April, we have a menorah that's near the window and our Christmas tree has a dreidel ornament.

My dads family never decorated for Hanukkah, I don't think it was the norm when I was growing up so this is all new to me. Will hopefully add some things next year.

I have some beautiful Hanukkah decor! I don't have any photos yet, but I will try to remember to take some after I set the table for our big party on Saturday. I do a beautiful tablescape with an antique tray of family heirloom menorahs, silver and gold driedels and golden gelt. I place gold chargers under each place setting and place a single blue driedel over each napkin. In the meantime, this is the best decor of all! Eight golden latkes simmering in oil. My family has a Hanukkah tradition on the first night - I fry 8 latkes, to commemorate the oil that lasted for 8 days.

Here you go, changed it up this year with some new pieces I found.

Thank you!! It is fabulous to see other traditions so beautifully celebrated!!

Chag Chanukah sameach to everyone who celebrates!

The biblical obligation is to light your menorah each night for eight nights and to have it somewhere, where it could be seen from the street (window sill, etc). Everything else is just bubkes :). However, now that I have two young children, I decorate mostly for them and for their enjoyment. Growing up (not in US), my family never did that :).

So true, it is a minor holiday, but it reminds us of bringing the light into the world!

Made homemade applesauce, too. Yum!!!

cat_mom, where do you find the time! Teach me, lol. Love it!

Hama, lol! Thank you. :)

actually, traditional ones-the really traditional old(and some new and highly prized but less convenient) menorahs use oil:) as it was in the original story

the putting menorah on the windowsill or where it can be better seen from the outside has nothing in common with showing off menorahs -it's about "pirsum ha-nes"-"publisizing of the miracle", as Hamma said.

One also won't be able to see details of menorahs from outside unless he literally sticks his face to the glass of every window. The light will be seen though.

(putting mezuza on the doors is also not about showing off the mezuzas as you can guess..it's a commandment. Menorahs that should be seen are not a commandment because happened long after commandments were given..but yes, that's how the teaching about the holiday goes, and is observed this way)

it's not a very minor holiday either-in Israel it is very much felt for example, very warm and happy..just has nothing to do with decorations. (most Jewish holidays don't put any stress on decorations). true not as important as many other holidays yet it does commemorate a pretty important historical event. But yes, it's not a holiday where one stops working..kids get their winter breaks though thus schools close.

It's definitely overblown here I don't know why. I have my explanations and not all of them are bubkes-related, but yes, overblown. All the gifts thing is kinda overblown here too. traditionally kids got a bit of money..I suppose to have something to bet when playing with dreidels:) Dreidel is a part of the story too. Now it's really popular to give yummy equivalent of money-coin shaped chocolates wrapped in silver and gold foil, in addition to a gift. They're sold here too but in Israel every pre-school kid will be washed with these..they're cheap, shiny, and one can eat them:)

ah and if already to continue into the subject-"menorah" is a translation that's not exactly correct..Menorah that stood in the Temple had 7 candles..the Hebrew name for Chanuka light is Chanukiya-and it has 8 candles, for the amount of days the tiny bit of oil in the Menorah miraculously burned while they were making the new oil , plus the ninth one with which you light the rest.

our latkes kinda look like the ones cat_mom made..:)

that's the recipee I use..it's gluten free though, tweaked for whoever has Celiac etc. It's very yummy nevertheless. So yes I do recommend!

http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/potato-latkes-jewish-potato-pancakes-gluten-free-201068

Okay. That was long..it's always harder for me around the holidays, since I really miss the atmosphere I'm used to..in Chanukah that would be also the smell of jelly doughnuts that are sold freshly baked on every corner..

Happy Chanukah!

April, thank you for your explanation. I certainly learned a lot. Happy Chanukah to you!

Thank you anniecat!

aprilneverends, even in Israel there is so much division, as I'm sure you know. For example, you won't be caught dead decorating your Sukkah in Kfar Chabad (predominantly Chabad Lubavitch village), because in Chabad custom Sukkahs are not decorated, however much of the rest of Israel goes wild decorating their Sukkahs, and the shops, who sell such decorations...they really flourish. Anyway, just to agree with you on various degrees of differences :). And here in US we are in a true melting pot, so what do we know :).

The one thing that unites all Jews is Torah, whether you eat sufganiyot or ponchiki for Chanukah (which is the same thing!, just called differently :). I still think that all the rest is bubkes :).

oh I don't know..all Sukkah decorations remind me of the ones we kids were making ourselves for New Years' Eve..)) the paper chains and the foil lanterns.. well hence the initial point I guess, to involve the kids, but they look very modest to me because of that, even when they're ready made. Of course there is sweetness to them but I'd be in a less-decorating camp for Sukkahs..:)

I agree with you of course on the main idea ..even though I can't eat sufganioyt/ponchiki..but latkes/derunes/dranikes are still there for me to enjoy, hey-hey!

Now a tad unrelated story-I remember starting university in Israel when 19, after taking preparatory course already..first several lectures everything was a buzz with lots of new words..we newcomers were overwhelmed so much and thought and told each other "goodness what we were thinking? we're gonna fail all these courses!"

But they gave us a professor to hold our hand a bit during these first several months, so we came to meet him in the evening after school to share whether we have problems with studies and all..learning it all in new language ..and we were scared as rabbits in my backyard are, with same faces I'm sure..and it was after High Holidays so end of September-beginning of October I suppose? I remember he smiled and told us:

-it's the very beginning..usually by Chanukah, everybody'll be eating sufganiyot..ponchiki..

And that was a memorable phrase so I took it for myself, and it came so true many times for me and my loved ones and friends too-a big change happens and you think it's beyond you and you're stressed and you're scared..and by Chanukah you're somehow eating ponchiki..:)

Thank you so much for sharing, aprilneverends! It's truly a sweet and very touching story...

Catmom, I'm drooling looking at your trail of perfectly golden crisp latkes!!

Beautiful story, AprilNeverEnds, thanks for sharing!

Happy Chanukah!