hanukkah

Big tree - photo by Dana Rudolph

For the Holidays: Finding Family, Creating Connections

The end-of-year holiday season is hard for me now that my parents have passed. Thanksgiving had always been my Jewish family of origin’s time to gather. My brother and I have continued to celebrate Thanksgiving with our immediate families and his wife’s parents, but the absence of our parents makes the occasion bittersweet. I miss them, too, at Hanukkah, when we always lit a menorah and exchanged gifts. I’m finding comfort this year, however, in a new project to uncover and preserve our family history.

Tree and menorah

Of Food, Festivals, and Family

My family of origin always has our biggest gathering on Thanksgiving. My spouse Helen, our son, and I pretty much party from then until Helen’s birthday in early January, marking Hanukkah, Christmas, and New Year’s along the way.

Dreidels

The Dreidel Song: A Very Queer Rewrite

Hanukkah starts this Sunday evening, which means I’m in a bit of a mood as I’m getting ready. I give to you all, therefore, a very queer rewrite of the classic Hanukkah song, “I Had a Little Dreidel.” Enjoy (and leave another verse, if you’re so inspired)!

Christmukkah

Of Festivals and Family

(Originally published as my Mombian newspaper column.) It was holiday prep weekend here at my house, our annual festive mash-up of traditions.

Finding a Little Light

I’ve been lighting the Hanukkah candles with my 11-year-old son this week and thinking about how we all could use a little light right now.

The Best Rendition of “I Had a Little Dreidel” Is by a Lesbian Mom

Yes, there is more to Hanukkah music than “I Had a Little Dreidel,” elementary school music teachers notwithstanding. But while this week’s once-in-a-lifetime concurrence of Thanksgiving and Hanukkah has led to any number of new “Thanksgivukkah” songs, sometimes I just want the classics. And Julie Silver’s bluesy rendition of “Dreidel” makes what can sometimes be a tired old number seem cool again.

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