🕎✡️ OY YAY !!! ✡️🕎

A little bit of light pushes away a lot of darkness.

-Jewish proverb

 Hey Kids,

Well, Hanukkah is over for another year. Tess and I decided since we couldn't be with our families, that we'd spend 8 days and 8 nights enjoying the peace and quiet. So we turned off the laptops and phones and spent time cooking and baking together and watching the snow and the fireplace.

Then we got bored 😄. So, we agreed to only use the DVD player and the TV. 

It's tradition 😉 in our home to watch two movies every Hanukkah.

And FIDDLER ON THE ROOF.

Throughout the years, I added a few things to the list including :

RUGRATS "CHANUKAH"

SOUTH PARK'S "JEWBILEE" (Tess loves Ike😀).

And FAMILY GUY'S "WHEN YOU WISH UPON A WEINSTEIN".

They're all light hearted and funny and inoffensive (well, Peter Griffin is offensive, but the writers have a good sense of humor in this episode) so I'm not going to complain.

What I do want to complain about, is the serious lack of Hanukkah tv episodes, movies and new songs. I hear all the time how the entertainment industry is "run by the Jews". Really? Well, you could've fooled me. I grew up with all of the Christmas movies, tv episodes, Christmas specials, Christmas carols and not a single thing for Jewish kids at Hanukkah time. If it weren't for the annual party at my grandparents and the party at our Temple, there would've been nothing, and I grew up in New York, the second largest Jewish community in the world !!!

I feel bad for Jewish kids growing up without any Hanukkah entertainment. There are Jewish writers, songwriters, producers, directors, and musicians and none of them are doing anything about it. I think that's sad. All the biblical Cecil B. DeMille movies and not one about the Maccabees!

I'm grateful to Rugrats, South Park, Family Guy, and the Simpsons, but I still think there should be more to look forward to the way kids look forward to Rudolph and Santa Claus.

My Tess, as you know, grew up in Louisiana, and unless you saw "Driving Miss Daisy", you might not know there is a Jewish community there (I didn't 😅). Tess went to Temple (as well as church) and was raised both Jewish and Catholic, but she leans to her Jewish side. She went to several Hanukkah parties each year given by relatives and friends and after we became engaged, I was invited too ! They were warm and fun and the food was great !!! Sadly, they had to be cancelled this year, or that's where we would've been for sure. But this year it was just the three of us. 

Tess has been feeling much better since we came home🙏.

On the 1st night, she made a delicious " Japanese" brisket.

And the traditional sufganiyot but with mango custard filling😋.

And yesterday, for the last night, she made her amazing matzo ball soup with mushrooms, this gorgeous roast chicken with eggplant, rice and carrots (we eat a lot of 🍚) and a scrumdillyitious carrot cake

And for dessert.....mango (there was apparently a sale on mango or something) and pineapple and this yummy carrot cake in honor of JEWBILEE and Kenny 😢.

Present time 🎁!!!

I know there's a joke that even though Jewish kids get 8 presents, that it's stuff like socks and.........

I was getting dressed to deliver a Hanukkah "meals on wheels" to our neighbors (the couple from the National Egg Day post). They've both been sick
(not Covid) and Tess feels guilty for neglecting them while we were in Florida. 
Ok, it's true. Tess has never given me a pair of socks, but my Mom still does. Thanks, Mom😒.

Tess gives great presents. She listens to my wants and needs all year long and then she fulfills my every desire. I'm spoiled rotten 😁.

Tess's Hanukkah hairstyle. 😘

And what did I give to Tess?

I told her that this would be our last Hanukkah together in this house. 

Tess: 😢Have I worn out my welcome?

Me: No, but the house will be ready in February.

Tess: Which house?

Me: Ours, so start packing !!! Here, look ! Fishies !!! 🐟🐟🐟

Tess: 😲 😭 🥴.

Me: Uh oh, I think she fainted 😯😮😆

Tess' Japanese teacher told her about the Akiya (abandoned traditional houses) in Japan and we've been researching it ever since our trip was cancelled. We found a house that both of us really liked, but it needed work because it's 83 years old. The same age as my Dad !😏 Tess thought we shouldn't get in over our heads, but it wasn't as bad as we thought. I knew she was very disappointed. I decided to buy it without telling her and the real estate company arranged for the contractor,etc.  They even found someone to do the garden including the koi pond ! They emailed the pictures a couple of days ago and it's beautiful😯 !  I thought I could wait until Christmas to tell Tess, but she's had a bad year (a few bad years, thanks to me 😔 and.....) and I really want and need to make it up to her. 

Of course, we have no idea when we'll be able to see it in person, but it's something to look forward to, and who doesn't need that, especially right now ?

Take care, Kids. 😉

P.S. If anyone can tell me how to get back our original theme template back, I'd be thrilled. Thanks.