Twice is Nice

Twice is Nice  (E) A Writers Cramp Entry for 12-25-2016 #2106400 by Chris Breva

854 words

Eli had waited all year for this day to arrive. It was his favorite day of the year. It was December 25, a day many people around the world celebrate as Christmas. It was more than just Christmas for Eli however. It was also the first day of Hanukkah. You see Eli was one of five children in a home with parents of mixed religious backgrounds. His mother was a Christian and his father was Jewish. Therefore his family celebrated each of the holidays. It was always a joyous time for Eli and his siblings!

Every year on the first day of Hanukkah his father would set the children down and tell them the story behind the Jewish Festival of Lights also known as Hanukkah. Father would tell them how the Maccabees had defeated the much greater armies of Alexander the Great, thus reclaiming the temple that the Greek armies had conquered and desecrated. Why Alexander the Great had even had the audacity to sacrifice a pig on the Jewish altar! Legend had it that it was this action that had angered the Maccabees enough to take action against the Greeks. Everybody knew however that the Maccabees could not have defeated the Greek armies without divine intervention. Thus the Festival of Lights was to celebrate God's protection of His holy temple.

Every year as Mother prepared Christmas dinner Father retrieved the Menorah and prepared it for lighting each day. The shamash or helper candle was lit first and placed in it's holder in the center of the candelabra. Father was a very traditional man and refused to use a seven candle menorah as most of his friends used. Instead he used the proper nine candled candelabra, similar to the one used in the temple. As he prepared the candelabra Father recounted how there was not enough specially pressed and purified olive oil to light the candelabra in the temple and keep it lit for the eight days it would take to press and purify the oil to refill it. By Law the candelabra had to be kept burning in the temple at all times. Part of the purification process for the temple would be the lighting of the menorah. Once it was lit however it was unlawful for it to ever be allowed to go out. The Maccabees therefore had a dilemma. The menorah had to be lit but it would go out again in twenty-four hours when the oil ran out. The Maccabees were not afraid however. Instead they stepped out on faith and trusted God to meet their needs with the menorah's oil supply. So they lit the menorah knowing they did not have the purified oil to replenish it twenty-four hours later. However a miracle happened. God replenished the oil in the refill container for the duration of the eight days the new oil was being purified! Each day the priest tending to the menorah would find the previously empty container refilled with enough oil to refill the menorah. Thus the Jewish custom known as the Festival of Lights was born. Each day the head of the family would light another candle of the household menorah around sunset. This was a symbolic replaying of the lighting of the menorah in the temple. Each new candle on the menorah represented a day God had provided the oil for the menorah after the Maccabees revolted. The family would eat special foods and play games during the eight day feast. Eli loved playing the dreidel. The dreidel was a four sided die that spun like a top used for a gambling game. It was basically played by children who used candies or nuts as the "pot'. When the pot was consumed the game ended.

Eli also loved the sufganiyot Mother cooked every year during Hanukkah. These sugary donuts were a favorite with all the children. Of course Mother also made the traditional latkes, a type of pancake consisting of shredded potatoes, onions, matzoh meal, and salt, but the children didn't like those as much as the sufganiyot.

The opening of Hanukkah gifts in Eli's family coincided with the opening of Christmas gifts. The Hanukkah gifts were always kept separate from the Christmas gifts to prevent them from being placed under the tree. Besides the children usually received a gift of a five dollar check for each day of Hanukkah, which was donated to the charity of the child's choice. They also received special chocolate coins, which would have melted under the tree. Father however never failed to get into the spirit of Christmas. He was even known on occasion to don a Santa suit and play Santa Claus to the family!

Mother would take the opportunity every during their combined Christmas/Hanukkah celebration to teach the children the Jewish custom of Tikkan Olam. This meant that she encouraged them to stand up for causes they believed in and to fight for religious freedom.

Christmas/Hanukkah was always a big celebration for Eli's family. Usually they would celebrate it quietly at home. Sometimes they had guests or were guests of others. It was always a very special time as Christian and Jewish traditions mingled.