As Jews we don't have a Christmas tree and when I was growing up there were 5 of us. Eight presents for five kids adds up quickly, both in terms of money and SPACE! To "corral" the presents, my mother started a tradition of having Hanukkah boxes. Each child decorated their own box for their presents. I continued that tradition with my own children, and now I do the same with my grandkids. Here is my DGD (no judgment! 7 year olds dress themselves!) - excitedly checking out the presents in her box. (She tells me she’s “too old” for Frozen and wants to redecorate her box this year.)
Non-Jews are often surprised to learn that Hanukkah is NOT a major Holiday in the Jewish tradition. However, its celebration has become increasingly important (or should I say commercialized?) because, like this year, it often coincides with (or is very close to) Christmas. While it is by no means a secularized holiday, Hanukkah in America does include a few elements similar to Christmas such as celebrating and gathering with family, serving traditional holiday foods, singing holiday songs and, of course, exchanging presents.
FYI: The major holidays of Judaism include:
- Rosh Hashana (The Jewish New Year) - it is currently the year 5785 in the Jewish calendar. This holiday falls in early fall (September or October)
- Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement) - this holiday calls for a day of fasting and prayers for forgiveness. This holiday is 10 days after Rosh Hashana
- Passover (which celebrates Jewish freedom from slavery in Egypt) - This holiday falls in the spring and is always very close to Easter. (Fun fact: if you've noticed that the date of Easter changes every year, that is because its date is set according to the lunar calendar. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox (first day of Spring - March 21st). This calculation means that the holiday is always close to Passover due in part to the Last Super being a Passover Seder.)
As a minor holiday, gifts were not a traditional part of the Hanukkah celebration until the late 1800s. It was then that Christmas gift-giving became a major part of European and American culture, and Jews followed suit by adding gifts to the Hanukkah experience. Each family has their own gift-giving tradition. While some give a number of gifts each night, many choose a slightly different approach. Some families, especially Orthodox ones, give money also known as gelt (which is Yiddish for money), rather than gifts for Hanukkah. Gelt is generally given to children, though, in the past, it was an adult tradition as well. It may be given every night of Hanukkah or only once. When this is the case, children may be expected to give a portion of their Hanukkah money to charity. Today, most families give their children chocolate gelt, chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil that they use to play dreidel games.
In my family when the children were smaller - and their desires less costly (LOL) they got one gift each night. As they grew older, and their tastes became more costly, we would label an expensive gift as "counting for 'x' number" of days. On the "off" days, I'd give them new socks or undies. Now, before you laugh too hard, these would be extra-special socks (like expensive ski socks) or extra-special undies (like Victoria's Secret). In fact when my son was in college and I sent his gifts to his dorm he literally called me and asked if I had "forgotten" to include his socks and undies - seems he needed more and instead of buying some he was waiting for Hanukkah because he KNEW he'd get some new ones then! LOL. I guess you could say it is now a tradition in our family. Every year when I ask for Hanukkah lists from my kids, the FIRST thing they send me is their EXPENSIVE name brand sock requests!!!! *** (Fun fact: Socks are the MOST requested clothing items in shelters for the homeless)
So, for our last challenge, since we've talked about gift giving tonight, your challenge is to include gifts or presents on your layout. Since gelt is the more traditional gift, and chocolate gelt is often given to children, you may instead use chocolate on your layout.
Here is my example. A word of explanation first. Although my family is Jewish, my husband had been raised Catholic and my 93-year-old mother-in-law celebrates Christmas. Every year we've gone to her home with the children - and now the grandchildren - to celebrate Christmas with Grandma. We celebrate it as a day of love and giving to be shared with family. Since we raised our children to be respectful of all beliefs, from a young age they understood the true meaning of Christmas to Christians.
So here is my Jewish DGS at his great-grandmother's home, on Christmas 2023, opening what had to be his ABSOLUTE favorite present (from Hanukkah and Christmas combined!!) - a bugle.
Now the boring stuff for Hanukkah Day 8.
1) You must include presents, gifts or chocolate on your layout.
2) You may combine with one other monthly challenge that permits it, but you may NOT submit the same layout for 2 different Hanukkah challenges.
3) Only one submission, per person, per challenge.
4) Entries must be new single or double page layouts and may be digital or paper. Cards are permitted for this challenge.
5) Entries for HANUKKAH DAY EIGHT - PRESENT CHALLENGE must be posted to this thread by 1/31/25 at midnight.
6) MOST IMPORTANT: I hope that you learn something and that you HAVE FUN!
Participating cherries:
1) rkokes
~~Sandy~~ 
