Our Hanukkah-Solstice Traditions
By Laurie Levi
My husband grew up with Hanukkah and other Jewish holidays. However, he embraced Judaism from a cultural rather than a religious perspective, and so that's how we've raised our children. I wasn't raised in a Jewish family, but I started observing the Solstice when I was in my 20's and it was the cool thing to do.
We both feel it is important to have rituals in our own and our children's lives – things that mark the passage of time and something soothing and fun that the kids can return to in years to come. And so we continue to place our celebration of Hanukkah in that cultural setting, and bulk it up with our celebration of nature, food and changing seasons and light that is Winter Solstice. There's always great food, lots of imbibing for us parents and beautiful moments as family.
For me, it has always been a sweet moment, watching a child light the candles each night during Hanukkah. But a few years ago, I realized that our two oldest sons had memorized the prayers that go along with lighting the candles and, even though I was not raised in this tradition, the recitation brought tears to my eyes. Suddenly, I knew they were connecting with their larger culture and history in this simple way, and it struck me as really important for their identity and sense of family.
Over the years, we've integrated our own spin on traditional Hanukkah games and observance: We play dreidel for marshmallows and we decorate a Hanukkah shrub with blue lights and dreidels. The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming (from the Lemony Snicket books) is our shrub topper. The kids get a big kick out of burning the shrub, along with our intentions for the new year, on the night of Solstice. My kids' intentions are along the lines of not hitting each other and overcoming other shortcomings common among three brothers.
Mine is more specific to the day after Solstice: "Cultivate patience."
In appreciation of the rich and imaginative family holiday traditions celebrated in our community, over the years Seattle's Child has gathered traditions from our readers. We hope you'll also share one of your favorite holiday traditions on our FB page and that you'll find reading these traditions as comforting and inspiring as we do — to be reminded of how every family is entirely unique yet how we still share so much in common.
