I dedicate this little poem to my daughter Sari, who turns 8 on Christmas Eve, and all the other boychiks and meydles who get ripped off every year because their December birthdays are caught in the middle of the Hanukkah hoopla. (more…)

Today’s Hanukkah songs are hip, and that’s music to my ears. The Jewish jukebox of Hanukkah tunes are so cool, in fact, that my kids just might download “I Have A Little Dreidel” on their iPods this year. For centuries, Jewish themes and values are communicated through music, and this latest genre of popular Jewish artists are bound to rock all ages with their unique takes on the Festival of Lights classics and originals. (more…)

I fried so many latkes this past week that I can’t get the smell of onions and olive oil out of my hair. Even worse, I still find sticky globs of pureed sweet potatoes and carrots that exploded in the blender when I made tzimmes soup for the first time.

As usual, this past Hanukkah was excessive in food and fun. In fact, I might wrap presents professionally to earn some extra spending money. Either that, or I’ll start a new jewelry trend that includes recycled lapel pins made of crinkled gold and silver foil from chocolate coins and stars.

So now that the holiday season is almost over and many of my friends are sunbathing in Mexico or snorkeling in the Caribbean, I have a chance to catch my breath and ask my exhausted and financially depleted self, “What gift means the most?” To me, it’s when I give of myself and show my children through my actions that helping others less fortunate is what makes us rich. (more…)

If there’s one thing Jews can agree on, it’s that Hanukkah is not a Jewish Christmas. (Now getting us to agree on how to spell Hanukkah—Hannukah, Chanukah, Channukah, or Hanuka—is another story). Sure, both holidays occur in December and fulfill lots of children’s wish lists, but the similarities between Hanukkah and Christmas stop there. (more…)

I roll my eyes at them—holiday shoppers who complain about all the Christmas gifts they have to buy. They still don’t get it. What about us Jews, whose kids expect to unwrap something exciting for eight days straight? Next to Playstation 3, one of the best Hanukah presents that parents can give their children is books, whatever subject appeals to them. Reading with your children is a great way to bond with your family any time of year, but sharing gelt and a good story on each night of Hanukkah makes the holiday even more special. (more…)

Is it just me, or does anyone else out there feel the stress of you-know-what around the corner? It seems to me that the winter holiday season, also known as Hanukkah hysteria or December dilemma, sneaks up on us earlier each year, like before I even have a chance to polish off my kids stale tootsie rolls. No sooner than I unplug the electric jack-o-lantern from the outdoor extension cord does our gentile society suck us into their world…Santas at every shopping mall, Jingle Bells on every radio station, and gigantic wreaths and red velvet ribbons tied around every light post in town. No wonder I find myself singing Winter Wonderland in the shower. (more…)

Finally, the cutthroat, mid-term election is over, and us voters are as much survivors as the politicians themselves. In record numbers, we not only survived the glitches of the new, high-tech electronic voting machines, but we sustained all the hateful television commercials, political propaganda junk mail, and annoying phone messages that raided our homes like a war zone. Now I have to assess the collateral damage, which is my children’s shattered illusion that the American government actually looks out for us.

This particularly competitive campaign seemed to separate the community as much as the championship World Series united us. The playing fields are different, but both events are games that go down in history. (more…)

People ask me all the time, “Ellie, how do you work from home with so many distractions during the day?”

The answer is simple. I would much rather stay home and write in my flannel plaid pajamas than get dressed in real clothes and drive to an office where I doodle pictures at boring meetings and sit at my desk during my one-hour lunch break and eat leftover meatloaf out of a Tupperware container. (more…)

During the Hebrew month of Tishrei, Jews go from the most solemn day of the year, Yom Kippur, to one of the simplest, Sukkot, which celebrates the plentiful Fall harvest. In a period of just 14 days, we move from the glorified high holidays to the most down-to-earth festival of all. In the time it takes to polish off the last bite of leftover defrosted brisket, we transcend from praying in the majestic, stained-glass surroundings in our congregation to shaking the lulav with our children in a makeshift outdoor hut. The synagogue is heavenly. The sukkah, literally, is under the heavens. Only in Judaism can we call both the beama and our backyard holy places of worship. (more…)

Halloween is one of my favorite childhood holidays (aside from the eight days of Hanukah), and even to this day, the best part remains my guiltless binge on bite-size candy bars. Even though I don’t dress up like a scary witch with frizzy black hair anymore, at least not on purpose, I still like to welcome the full harvest moon with much spirit. (more…)