8 Crazy Nights

Yesterday, I shared some of our Christmas weekend highlights and lots of photos, so I apologize for this influx as well, but I had to give equal billing to Hanukkah!

I am Jewish... the product of 2 Jewish parents.  While that may not be a rarity in some parts, it kind of is around here.  Let's put it this way...most people have their token Jewish friend, and I pretty much fulfill that role for about 99% of my acquaintances!  Growing up, that meant I didn't celebrate Christmas in anyway.  It was a pretty depressing day, especially as I got older and realized that while I was sitting around bored out of my mind, waiting for the Chinese restaurant and movie theater to open so I would have something to eat and do, my friends were racking in the presents surrounded by holiday cheer.  Awful, I tell you!

Because of the relatively small number of Jews that I know, I always figured I wouldn't marry Jewish, and anxiously awaited the day that I, too, got to be involved in the Christmas fun.  Obviously, I was right and since marrying Josh (well, since starting to date Josh really), I have gotten 1000% totally swept up in the Christmas hoopla (as is probably pretty obvious if you read this blog with any regularity!).
But it is also important to me that we honor my Jewish roots and that we not only expose my little boy to those traditions, but actually have him get excited for them, as well.  So, for the past couple of years, I have done my best to build Hanukkah up as much as Christmas.  Colton and I made a marshmallow menorah (or more appropriately, he we tasted a lot of frosting!):

He played with some dreidels at his Meme and Papa's house (although not quite spinning them this year...throwing them was more up his alley!)

He sampled potato latkes for the first time:

We lit the menorah each night:

And he starred at our family Hanukkah celebration (which most of the above pictures were from as well).  

***On a sidenote, this event has been a little lackluster over the last few years as myself, siblings, and cousins had all grown a bit old to really make much of a fuss over exchanging Hanukkah gifts.  It's amazing how much more fun the event has become again with a little person around to excite everyone.  And excite he did...if you notice the ridiculous amount of presents in the background, you'll know what I mean!  Spoiled rotten, I tell you...we still had 7 more nights of Hanukkah to get through plus Christmas!***

So, as we conclude another Hanukkah, I would say Colton was definitely bitten with the Hanukkah spirit as well.  By the third night, he would get excited at the mention of the word Hanukkah and run to our menorah. It was fun to watch him eagerly rip into presents this year (last year, we pretty much had to open them for him!), but he was equally as excited to just watch the candles being lit.  While it will probably never be able to fully compete with Chirstmas, I am confident he (and his brother) will grow up excited to celebrate it as well!  Mission accomplished for now!