Because Hanukkah.....

 To all of our Jewish family and friends, here's wishing you a bright, peaceful, happy Festival of Lights.

As I went through last year's Hanukkah photos to find some for this post, I was taken aback by how much the girls have grown.

I love these two photos. For me, they capture the essence of the holiday. The last night of Hanukkah is always my favorite because ALL the candles being lit is SO beautiful!

Alain's chocolate cherry Dreidel Cake has become one of our family traditions.

Last year Sophie insisted that we make some crafts for Tio Iggy.  I LOVED THAT. We will surely be doing that again this year!  It feels good to include him in our celebrations, even in this small way.

Dreidels are BIG in our family.  Sophie loves to play.  We usually play with nuts rather than gelt.

I didn't get to do nearly as much as I would've liked because Hanukkah is SO danged early this year......and coincides with Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday).  I've grown to really love Hanukkah and I look forward to finding new ways to make it special.  

This craft we did last year made it to Pinterest and my blog has gotten many hits over the last few weeks from people searching for a Hanukkah craft. I have a new craft planned for this year and I'm just hoping I have time to pull it off.  We're in Lynchburg now for Thanksgiving and I'm soaking up this time with my family and my lovely, lovely Kenzie!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American friends!!!

XOXO

PS ~ I decided to use "Because Hanukkah" for my post title after reading this.....the evolution of the English language is rather fascinating!!!