Hanukkah at Home - The First Night

Scenes from our house on the first night:

Happy Hanukkah to those who are celebrating!

Scrappy Gen

Let's Remember!

Advent Calendar - Hanukkah Music - Miracle

The singing sensation, the Maccabeats, from Yeshiva University in New York is back with another uplifting Hanukkah song. With lyrics and music by Matisyahu, here is Miracle:

Doesn't it just make you happy? Here is the original by Matisyahu himself: 



Happy first day of Hanukkah to those who celebrate the Festival of Freedom!


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!


Read all posts about Hanukkah. 

This post is part of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories at GeneaBloggers. Today's prompt is: Christmas Music: What songs did your family listen to during Christmas? Did you ever go caroling? Did you have a favorite song?

Hanukkah Bling - Temple Israel Hanukkah Celebration

Yesterday we lit candles in celebration of the approaching Festival of Lights.

The kids brought their Hanukkah menorot (plural of menorah) to Hebrew School and then joined their families for the candle lighting. How cute is this purple cat?

I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the different styles of menorot on display. This one is perfect for New Hampshire.

A kosher Hanukkah menorah has eight oil or candle holders in a straight line and a ninth one placed higher than the rest. 

A Hanukkah menorah should be beautiful, but other than that can be any design, material or color. 

Many people make their menorot. It's perfectly kosher.

Simple is beautiful too.

My son received a new Hanukkah menorah this year from his Aunt. Guess what he loves to play.

Tomorrow night is the first night of Hanukkah. Temple Israel will celebrate again when they unveil a new outdoor Hanukkah menorah, a sculpture by Portsmouth artist, Sumner Winebaum. The entire Portsmouth community is welcome. 

Temple Israel was the first Jewish temple is New Hampshire and has been in the current building for over 100 years. The building was purchased from the Methodist community. 

Happy Monday!

Scrappy Gen

Let's Remember!

May Your Hearts Be Light!

The end of darkness approaches. Four nights till Hanukkah, six days till Winter Solstice and eight days till Christmas. May your hearts be light!

Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

Advent Calendar - Grab Bag - Hanukkah Treasures

Five nights till Hanukkah!


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

This post is part of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. Today's prompt is Grab Bag: Author's Choice: Please post from a memory that helps you remember Christmases [or holidays] past. 

Advent Calendar - Hanukkah Traditions

The most important Hanukkah tradition is lighting the candles. This is why most Jewish people do not decorate the exterior of their homes. Nothing should diminish or outshine the light from the Hanukkah menorah.


We light the candles 

• to recognize the miracle of the oil that lasted for eight days instead of one
• to remember those who have fought for our freedom
• to celebrate the freedom we enjoy to worship however we choose

This YouTube video explains how to light a hanukkiah, or Hanukkah menorah. Menorah translates as lamp and can refer to many different types of lights, including one with seven branches. A hanukkiah has nine branches. 

After being lit, the hanukkiah should be set in a street facing window or doorway so that all can see its light. No work (i.e. dishes, laundry, etc.) should be done while the candles are burning. Having done both, I can share that sitting in a darkened room by the light of the hanukkiah has a similarly peaceful feeling to sitting in a room lit only by a Christmas tree. I love that about the December holidays. Peace and light are integral to many and make these dark days so much more bearable. 


Eight nights till Hanukkah! 


Scrappy Gen
Let's Remember!

This post is part of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories. Other Traditions: Did your family or friends also celebrate other traditions during the holidays such as Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? Did your immigrant ancestors have holiday traditions from their native country which they retained or perhaps abandoned?

Family History Celebrations - Passover

Passover technically begins at sundown tomorrow night. For those in charge of the household however, it began several weeks ago with a thorough house cleaning to remove all crumbs or remnants of unleavened food. Tonight our family will have the traditional hunt for chametz, or unleavened food, during which the children walk around our darkened house and find ten little  pieces of bread, which I will have hidden before we start. I feel very fortunate to be able to participate in this ancient practice after spending the first twenty years of my life celebrating Catholic rites and traditions. Very few people have the opportunity to experience more than one religion during their lives and go from searching for Easter eggs to searching for chametz. 

Whether you are celebrating Easter or Passover or another tradition altogether, this Scrappy Genealogist wishes you a spring season of freedom and renewal. 


The next few days will be very busy ones as we are hosting two Passover seders in our home. If you don't hear from me until later in the week, don't worry, I will be back! Unless of course, I drink too much wine or eat too much matzah. It's been known to happen. 

Happy Sunday!

Scrappy Gen

Let's Remember!

Related articles

• Matzo cook-off livens up unleavened meals for Passover (pennlive.com)
• Passover Prep Continued (chefhelen.wordpress.com)
• Passover 101 (npr.org)