Intermission

From my window, where you can send your glow from my menorah, on newly fallen snow, I will set you eight little candles on this the last night of Channukah...

As of today, we have reached what I have come to think of as "the intermission." Channukah is over. Christmas is still a few weeks away.

It's time to shake off the candle wax, wash the latke smell out of my apron, and shift into Christmas mode.

And that means cookies.

So while I compile my list of recipes and ingredients, I can watch my children enjoy their Channukah loot, and remember my favorite conversation of the last week. It was on the fifth night of Channukah, and SI gleefully informed me of the fact.

Channukah with Aunt Something Funny, her BF,
and Grandmommy

"Mommy! It's the fifth night of Channukah!" (She makes sure to pronounce the "chai" sound- her Hebrew is quite impeccable.)

"Yes, it it!"

"Tonight we will put five candles in the hannukiah! And then we will get FIVE presents!"

"Actually, tonight I only have one present for you, and I think maybe Grandmommy has one. But that's it."

"But I want FIVE presents!"

"But do you know what? Channukah isn't about presents. It's about celebrating freedom, and being with the people we love."

"But we give presents!"

"Yes, we do. But only because we love each other. We give Grandmommy presents because we love her, and we give Daddy presents because we love him, and mommy and daddy give YOU presents because we love you- and Channukah is a nice time to do that. But it's not the only time. And that's not what makes Channukah special."

"When else do we give each other presents?"

"You give me presents almost every day. You draw me pictures at school, and you make me cards... but my favorite presents you give me are just showing me you love me."

My big sweethearts

"How?"

"Well, sometimes you give me hugs and kisses. Those are the best presents of all."

"Mommy? I want to give you a present now."

"Okay."

"Here you go!"

And she gave me a giant hug.

I've thought about that conversation every couple of hours since. I'm so grateful for my children, for their love and their affection. I'm so grateful for my family, for my parents and my husband and my in-laws and my friends.

Hopefully, keeping that in mind will just make my cookies sweeter.


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