Tonight is the 7th night of Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees defeated the Syrians and won their religious freedom.  Hanukkah is also called the Festival of Lights because after the Maccabees purified the Temple they rekindled the Menorah (a candelabra).  Although they believed they only had enough oil for one day…the oil lasted for 8 days.

Hanukkah is celebrated for 8 days and each night a candle is lit, prayers and songs are sung…and gifts are given. When I was a child, I always received a gift each night – not always something big, but something.  We have continued this tradition in our home.  It is joyful to watch Benjamin light the candles, recite the prayers, and, of course, open presents.

Since I co-own a toy business, Benjamin really got some wonderful gifts this year.  Here is what we got for him from GIFT HERO: Do You Sudoku Game for Kids by University Games, Zoobmobile Dragster by Infinitoy, Snap Circuits Jr by Elenco, the World Puzzle by Mudpuppy, and Bananagrams. 

The 8th night of Hanukkah is Friday December 18th.  Happy Hanukkah to all of our Jewish friends, fans and customers!

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 17th, 2009 at 3:47 pm by Stefanie. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.