Festival of Lights

Hanukkah,… the time when families come together to light the Menorah, eat latkes, and spin the dreidel.

Lighting of the Candles

The candles are placed in a menorah and each night a candle is lit. I have put all the candles in the menorah for demonstration but typically a candle is added and lit each night until the eighth night when all the candles are lit.

What is a Latke?

For those of you not familiar with latkes, the easiest comparison would be to a hash brown. They are made from potatoes, eggs, onions and are deep-fried in oil. There are many different recipes, but we like to keep it simple.

Traditionally, they are topped with sour cream and/or applesauce but are just as good plain. We have been known to make a meal out of nothing but latkes!

The Dreidel Game

Playing the Dreidel game is a fun activity the whole family participates in. The object is to win the pot of gelt which is milk chocolate in the shape of a coin. This is especially popular with the kids, although the adults can become quite competitive when chocolate is involved.

Each year we bring together the history and traditions of my family and the history and traditions of my husband’s family and over the years we have made our own traditions.

Whether it’s cooking latkes, or leaving milk and cookies out for Santa, it is our family traditions that bring us closer together during the Holiday Season.

What are some of the tradition your family enjoys?

Leave me a comment with your family traditions….