Hanukkah Prep

While its date in the Jewish calendar is always the same (the 25th day of the month of Kislev), Hanukkah falls early in our secular calendar, landing only a few weeks from now on December 1st. While the sales frenzy of this time of year is only starting to get revved up (Black Friday, anyone?), now is the time to take a measured look at what gifts your family will give and receive this holiday.

Books

What a wonderful time to give Jewish books to your family. Last year I wrote about PJ Library, a free program in some communities that will send your child a free Jewish book every month. If you do not happen to live in one of these sponsored communities, you can purchase a subscription. This will extend the giving year-round.

Want to pick some books out for your children? There are a number of good sources for Jewish books - here is Kar-Ben's Hanukkah collection, and you can find a large number of Jewish books on a number of topics.

Behrman House, another Jewish publisher, has a Hanukkah catalog, which you can find here. Use discount code HAN2010 for 20% off.

Shalom Sesame

Brand new for 2010 - Shalom Sesame, a hybrid version of Sesame Street and Rechov Sumsum (Sesame Street in Hebrew, literally), is a fun show that introduces children to Israel and Jewish holidays. Check out the web page for the new show - you can purchase the first two episodes here - #1: Welcome to Israel, and #2: Chanukah - the Missing Menorah (which I will review on the blog next week).

Give Back

Many of us are quite fortunate to have the resources to provide gifts for our children during this fun holiday. Take one evening, and instead of giving gifts (if it is your practice to give gifts each night, or even if it is not your tradition at all), give to others who need the extra boost. Perhaps you can pick an organization together as a family, and take the money you would have spent on gifts and donate it instead. Another option is to go shopping and pick up items that a local food bank, soup kitchen, or other worthy place could distribute. Helping to pick out the items to be donated could be a very meaningful activity for your family.

Check back for more holiday resources coming soon!