Merry Chrismakkah to all, and to all a good night!
That’s what we celebrate at my house, anyway, since I’m Christianish and my boyfriend is Jewish, but we both really like to get presents.
Yes indeedy.
So we worked something out.
Our treasured holiday traditions include me making him light a menorah that I bought for him, since for some reason he didn’t have one. He does know how to recite the prayer over the candles, fortunately, although he isn’t sure quite what it means.
“It’s something about God and lights, I guess,” he tells me, with the full weight of a fine Hebrew school education informing that statement.
I should really look it up, since obviously he hasn’t.
I think I’ll do that now, in fact.
Okay, here we go. This is the first of three blessings you’re meant to say over the menorah:
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha’olam
asher kidishanu b’mitz’votav v’tzivanu
l’had’lik neir shel Chanukah.
English Translation:
Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe
Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us
to light the lights of Chanukah.
Well, boyfriend was in the right ballpark, anyway.
You learn something new every day, don’t you?
Or in my case, every four and a half years or so. I probably should have looked that up a lot earlier myself.
Okay, so we’re neither one of us terribly religious (although I am extremely spiritual), but one thing I AM religious about is getting my holiday shopping done on time.
I scaled it back a bit this year, though – partly because I no longer have a “regular” job, partly because I’ve been working hard on a big contract project for a couple of months, and partly because the TV told me not to, and I simply don’t take advice from my home electronics.
No matter how loudly they ask me to.
Case in point: I’ve been seeing a commercial from Sears repeatedly over the last few days, urging me to take advantage of their “last minute gift ideas.”
One of those fine advertised ideas is the item in the screenshot below. Have a look, just in case you still have an empty stocking or two hanging around your own house.
Wait, REALLY?
Seriously?
What??
Now, if your concept of a last-minute, OMG you slipped my mind, convenience-store gift idea is a $999 plasma 3D TV, then I would LOVE to see what your well-thought-out, planned-in-advance list looks like.
Space shuttle? Lear jet? Football team? Mansion?
Sign me up. I am TOTALLY available for adoption.
No offense to my fabulous mother, of course. I’ll still come to visit.
In my jet.
Anyway, have a wonderful holiday, whatever you celebrate, and come back soon for more Mystery People, and whatever else the New Year may bring!
