Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, celebrates an important event in Jewish history when a single night's worth of lamp oil, needed to rededicate the Temple, miraculously lasted for eight nights. To honor this, the modern holiday lasts for eight nights, and many families now find it fun and satisfying to find a unique focus for each of the days or evenings of Hanukkah, giving each day its own special meaning or significance.
Native Californian Sara Zolott has worked in Jewish education for her entire adult life, and is currently the Assistant Educator/Assistant Family Program Coordinator at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. Here she offers some ideas to enrich the eight-night holiday experience of Hanukkah, one of her favorite holidays:
Designate nights for relatives. Many people like to give each night of Hanukkah its own special meaning or focus. For example, you could choose one night to be grandparent's night, and celebrate by giving gifts to your older relatives and listening to all the wonderful stories they have to share.
Try theme gift nights. Another idea is to pick one night as book night, so you and your family members could give each other books or read together. Other nights could be devoted to other themes, gifts or activities, like movie night or cooking night.
Invite others to learn. It can be fun to spend one night as a cultural ambassador for Hanukkah. Invite non-Jewish friends over and teach them all about the traditions of the holiday. They just might return the favor and have you over to celebrate Christmas or Kwanzaa.
Devote a night to charity. Once you get to the middle of the holiday it can be nice to shift the focus to the community. Take a break from exchanging gifts with each other and commit the family by volunteering at a soup kitchen or lending a hand at another worthy charity. It's a great way to give aid to people who otherwise might not have a holiday.
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