Happy Hanukah!

The best part of Hanukah when you're 3-years old? The presents. Tonight Charlotte got her very own guitar! I think she would have slept with it if we'd let her.

Or is it Chanukah? Or Hanukkah? Does it really matter?

A Hanukah Story to share with you:

Every month Charlotte's teacher, Celine, works with a theme. This month the theme has been "the holidays" which has mostly meant Christmas. The children have made a lot of Christmas trees--Céline uses the "art" projects to teach basic math skills like matching and patterns, and to work on fine motor skills (like putting small items in glue to decorate). Since it is a French school, the teaching of the holidays is "secular." That is, they learn about Santa and reindeer, but not about the religious meaning of the holiday. Still, I was getting a bit overwhelmed by talk of Christmas tree projects and by seeing nothing but said trees, ornaments, and the like hanging in the hallways.

So, Friday was the last day of school before break. Charlotte climbed into the car and immediately pulled out of her backpack a bag of Hanukah gelt!!! (The chocolate kind.) She proceeded to explain that her teachers had given everyone a bag of gelt and had talked about Hanukah in class. They played with a dreidel and everyone put a candle in a menorah.

I cannot begin to express how touched I was.

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This weekend Charlotte made a menorah. I sometimes feel that she gets cheated out of some Jewish holiday learning because she doesn't go to Jewish pre-school. So, when I saw a homemade menorah at our temple Hanukah party, I got inspired. Charlotte did everything except hot-gluing the nuts and bolts. Check it out: