Christmas and Hanukah

Heather's family on her mother's side is Jewish, so we celebrated both Christmas and the first night of Hanukah yesterday. We drank and snacked intermittently for several hours, and then some relatives came over and we had a dinner of potato latkes and ham. Latkes are a bit like hash browns, in that they're fried potato patties, and they're delicious. We also had salad, broccoli, roasted yam, and cranberry and apple sauces. For dessert, we had key lime and cherry pies.

After dinner we played dreidel, which is a gambling game (mostly for children now, I think) involving a top with four sides, each with a different symbol painted on it. Foil-covered chocolate coins, or gelt, are used for betting in the game. At the start of each player's turn, the players all put money into the centre. The player spins the dreidel, and depending on which of the four sides is uppermost when the dreidel stops spinning, the player might get to take all of the money that has been wagered, or half of it, or none. If particularly unlucky, the player has to put more money into the middle. I am pleased to report that I won, but redistributed my winnings to the other players. After weeks of doughnuts, bagels, and onion rings, more junk food is the last thing I need.

It was a different Christmas for me. I missed my family, but I also felt that I am now a part of another family, too. It was a strange feeling at first, when we first arrived in the US, because I didn't really know Heather's family. Now that I do know them, I know how lucky I am to be connected to them.

Merry Christmas to all of you. I hope you had a great time with your families, whatever form they may take.