Chanukkah

Whether you spell it with or with the C, Hanukkah is a fun wee festival, but a minor one. The recent commercialisation of it (largely in America, where the largest number of Jews live) has pushed it to a more equal level to Christmas, but this was not originally the case.

There are loads of places you can find out about Hanukkah on the web, so I'm not going to give you any sort of history. I will however tell you that it has been pretty special for the last two years, being in my small Edinburgh community. We always have a wee party, cook latkes, sing songs and have games for the kids. This past Hanukkah party, I played the piano so that the children had an accompaniment for pass-the-parcel. A simple act, but it was lovely to be asked.

I feel very shy in my shul. I have been with them for 15 months now, but I still feel like a bit of an outsider, and definitely can't go as often as I'd like. I know that I'm not as involved as others, and that does push me to the sidelines, and often people do not remember me. But I'm happy to be involved when and where I can.

Next Hanukkah I'm hoping to celebrate with small presents and greater observance overall. It may be a little festival, but it's so nice to bring light to the darkness in winter.

(Did you have a good break? Happy New Year!)