Happy first night of Hanukkah! We enjoy pulling out a menorah at this time and letting the kids hear about the story of Hanukkah as well as play a fun dreidel game. This may seem out of the ordinary as we do not attend a Jewish synagogue, but we figure that Jesus was Jewish and my husband's ancestors were also Jewish, so why not?
I spent some formative years growing up in California where Jewish songs were common at the "Christmas Concerts" at the elementary schools. I have always had an interest in Hanukkah, have collected menorahs pretty much my whole life and even remember the songs we sang at the concerts.
Tonight, we let our youngest son light up the first candle of the menorah after my husband told us the Hanukkah story. He was so excited to have a candle, he blew it out three times. Everyone thought it was pretty funny and he sure was proud of himself for doing it. I wonder how he will do tomorrow night when the next person gets to light it and he does not!
Then we let the kids play with dreidels for a little while. They use pennies as the prize and get really into it.
If you are celebrating Hanukkah tonight, we wish you a blessed time. May the Lord richly bless you and reveal Himself to you.
Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah
Come light the menorah
Let’s have a party
We’ll all dance the hora
Gather ’round the table
We’ll give you a treat
Sivivon to play with and latkes to eat
.
And while we are playing
The candles are burning low
One for each night, they shed a sweet light
to remind us of days long ago
One for each night, they shed a sweet light
to remind us of days long ago.
oh wow , because of your post I know another festival. Great post :) Thanks for sharing.
:) Thanks for stopping by!
Why not? Sounds reasonable. And fun.
It is fun. :) My husband said tonight that John 10:22 says that Jesus celebrated Hanukkah even. The Festival of Dedication...and the Message even uses the word Hanukkah! Pretty interesting.
Oh @apanamamama, it's so adorable to see all your cute nuggets huddled around. You are a blessed mama!
Thanks! They sure make life interesting...like with Legos, cars, dolls and dirty clothes all over the floor. ;) They plan to play dreidels for the next 8 nights. :) It's only fun until one person wins! ;)
Happy celebration @apanamamama
Thanks for stopping by!
What a fantastic celebration! Love the photos, what a beautiful family! Love all the short sleeve shirts... brrrr! @ironshield
70 degrees...no heater, no AC. ;)
I love how excited your kids are! Im trying my very best to make this a fun learning thing for my kids and not so much just about the lighting the candles. Did your husband do an specific teaching or book? Its a little hard to tell the story straight out of maccabees and a little glossed over when you dont mention the horrible things happening then. Just curious for future reference, if you dont mind sharing.
Sometimes one of our candles will 'go out' and my son will have to relight it, lol they love to play with fire!! Hope the rest of your festival goes very well and no hurt feelings over who won dreidel last night!!
Mine love lighting the candles as well. He googled Hanukkah story I guess. That's what the reading sounded like. It was very dry and history like and not really a story. I want to find a better one for next time. Yes, there is at least one kid who gets upset that he doesn't win the dreidel game. Ha. Sometimes it's a bit competitive. :)
Happy Hanukkah! Family memories are priceless and it all goes so fast.
Yes - it is a lot of fun family memories! I take pics of each kid lighting the candles every night. They're so excited for their turn. :)
Even though Hanukkah is not one of the commanded feasts of YHWH, it is an important festival. Our Messiah was present for the celebration in Jerusalem and no doubt took part in the festivities. We know, of course, that HE is the servant candle that lights all other candles. He is the light of the world. It's referred to as the Feast of Dedication. The events that led to the creation of the festival were spoken of by the prophet Daniel. It IS biblical...unlike other things celebrated around this time of year. Shalom!
Yes, I agree! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. :) It is biblical compared to the other celebrations around this time of year - that is true!! So glad we have this special time each evening to remember and teach our kids. :)
good post