My Little Slice of Life

Chanukah. Eight crazy nights.

In our house, we break it down with a different theme each evening. Try these ideas and add them to your own celebration:

1st Night - Books: They are a treasure and more valuable than jewelry. You heard me. Old, new, paperback, hard cover - doesn't matter. Whenever someone asks about movies for my children, I politely ask them to get books instead. A book is always better than the movie anyway.

2nd Night - Practical: Underwear. Socks. Sweaters. Important stuff.

3rd Night - Fun: Has to be something enjoyable. No other redeeming value necessary.

4th Night - Homemade: The gift must be our own creation. Poem. Rant. Rave. Or stick figures glued together and colored with Crayola's finest. More than likely these are future decorations to be stored away and taken out each December until the kids graduate college. Gifts that keep on giving.

5th Night - Charity: We bust open the piggy banks and donate some money to a worthy cause. We talk about why Joshua House, Mother Jones or the American Civil Liberties Union deserves our cash.

6th Night - Family: A gift we all can use and appreciate. No honey, this doesn't count. Nice try, though.

7th Night - Educational: Must *encourage* the use of brain cells. Not their destruction.

8th Night - Freebie: Whatever you want. Within reason. No honey, this doesn't count. Nice try, though.

Come up with some themes yourselves and don't forget to pass the latkes. Happy Chanukah!