Wednesday, December 1, 2010; 12:07pm :: Hanukkah

Hello to my avid readers! =)

I'm sorry that I have missed out on updating you so often, but as it is the holiday season, times to update will be few and far between for a while.

I hope all of my United States readers had an enjoyable and fun Thanksgiving! I traveled with Kody and his mother to Grand Rapids, Michigan to spend the holiday with Kody's sister, Shandra, and her husband, Chad. We had a great time! Lots of amazing food and good times standing outside in the middle of the night in the cold and snow for Black Friday sales. Still, it was family time and it was great.

Next on the agenda!

Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends! Hanukkah begins today at sundown.

From the Hebrew word for "dedication" or "consecration", Hanukkah marks the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after its desecration by the forces of the King of Syria Antiochus IV Epiphanes and commemorates the "miracle of the container of oil". According to the Talmud, at the re-dedication following the victory of the Maccabees over the Seleucid Empire, there was only enough consecrated olive oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days, which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate fresh olive oil.

The classical rabbis downplayed the military and nationalistic dimensions of Hanukkah, and some even interpreted the emphasis upon the story of the miracle oil as a diversion away from the struggle with empires that had led to the disastrous downfall of Jerusalem to the Romans. With the advent of Zionism and the state of Israel, these themes were reconsidered. In modern Israel, the national and military aspects of Hanukkah became, once again, more dominant.

In North America especially, Hanukkah gained increased importance with many Jewish families in the latter half of the twentieth century, including large numbers of secular Jews, who wanted a Jewish alternative to the Christmas celebrations that often overlap with Hanukkah. Though it was traditional among Ashkenazi Jews to give "gelt" or money coins to children during Hanukkah, in many families this has changed into gifts in order to prevent Jewish children from feeling left out of the Christmas gift giving.

While Hanukkah traditionally speaking is a relatively minor Jewish holiday, as indicated by the lack of religious restrictions on work other than a few minutes after lighting the candles, in North America, Hanukkah has taken a place equal to Passover as a symbol of Jewish identity. Both the Israeli and North American versions of Hanukkah emphasize resistance, focusing on some combination of national liberation and religious freedom as the defining meaning of the holiday.

There are several songs associated with the festival of Hanukkah. The most well known in English-speaking countries include "Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel" and "Chanukah, Oh Chanukah". In Israel, Hanukkah has become something of a national holiday. A large number of songs have been written on Hanukkah themes, perhaps more so than for any other Jewish holiday. Some of the best known are "Hanukkiah Li Yesh" ("I Have a Hanukkah Menora"), "Kad Katan" ("A Small Jug"), "S'vivon Sov Sov Sov" ("Dreidel, Spin and Spin"), Haneirot Halolu" ("These Candles which we light"), "Mi Yimalel" (Who can Retell") and "Ner Li, Ner Li" ("I have a Candle").

There is a custom of eating foods fried or baked in oil (preferably olive oil), as the original miracle of the Hanukkah menorah involved the discovery of a small flask of pure olive oil used by the Jewish High Priest, the Kohen Gadol. This small batch of olive oil was only supposed to last one day, and instead it lasted eight.

Accordingly, potato pancakes, known as latkes in Yiddish, are traditionally associated with Hanukkah, especially among Ashkenazi families, as they are prepared by frying in oil.

Similarly, many Sephardic, Polish and Israeli families have the custom of eating all kinds of jam-filled doughnuts (Yiddish: פאנטשקעס pontshkes), bimuelos (fritters) and sufganiyot which are deep-fried in oil. Bakeries in Israel have popularized many new types of fillings for sufganiyot besides the traditional strawberry jelly filling, including chocolate cream, vanilla cream, cappucino and others. In recent years, there have also appeared downsized, "mini" sufganiyot" containing half the calories of the regular, 400-to-600-calorie version.

There is also a tradition of eating cheese products on Hanukkah that is recorded in rabbinic literature. This custom is seen as a commemoration of the involvement of Judith and thus women in the events of Hanukkah.


Happy Hanukkah to all and I hope you have a fun, safe, and happy holiday season!

Until next time;

Jade

Monday, November 15, 2010; 2:14pm

Where are you Christmas
Why can't I find you
Why have you gone away
Where is the laughter
You used to bring me
Why can't I hear music play

My world is changing
I'm rearranging
Does that mean Christmas changes too

Where are you Christmas
Do you remember
The one you used to know
I'm not the same one
See what the time's done
Is that why you have let me go

Christmas is here
Everywhere, oh
Christmas is here
If you care, oh

If there is love in your heart and your mind
You will feel like Christmas all the time

I feel you Christmas
I know I've found you
You never fade away
The joy of Christmas
Stays here inside us
Fills each and every heart with love

Where are you Christmas
Fill your heart with love

Saturday, November 13, 2010; 4:12pm

Christmas always brings about a sort of reminiscent pain in me that I can't explain. When I was a really young child, probably five or six, I loved Christmas with my family. My brothers and I never got that many gifts, but my mother made the best of what we did get by giving us homemade hot chocolate and candy canes. Then, after opening the one or two gifts she was able to give to us, we would pop in a Christmas movie and tuck in for the night/early morning on Christmas Eve before we'd go to my grandmother's on Christmas Day. I loved that. I adored being able to sit on my mommy's lap, warm in my footy-pajamas, while she sang with us and asked us if we wanted to listen to the radio to hear where Santa Claus was at. I knew at a really early age that Santa Claus wasn't real. Growing up with two older brothers, why wouldn't I? But, it was still nice to imagine that there was a man in the sky that cared enough about all the children in the world that he traveled the whole Earth in one night to deliver toys and candy to them.

I used to lay up underneath the Christmas tree when I was still small enough to do so and watch the twinkling lights until I fell asleep. We had these Christmas beads that we used to drape over the tree for garland. They smelled so bad, smelled like someone had dipped them into motor oil for some reason. My mom still has them packed away in all her Christmas decorations, but they're all tangled together and broken in a lot of places. Everytime I help her decorate her tree, though, I sniff them, because it reminds me of laying up under the tree and watching those lights, smelling that horrible smell, still happy as can be with my new jammies and hot chocolate. They remind me of a time before things got too hectic and bad that we couldn't be a normal family anymore.

I remember the last okay Christmas we had as an entire family, with my grandparents, mom, and brothers. We were living with my mom's boyfriend at the time, and because he had a son that was a few years younger than me who lived with his mother, we generally did the Christmas that wasn't at my grandparent's house on Christmas Eve completely. Sometimes, we'd even end up doing it the day before Christmas Eve because we kids would get so impatient; but that year, we did it on Christmas Eve like what was tradition. I got a bunch of new clothes, a karaoke machine, and some toys. A few CDs from the boyfriend's mother. It was a good haul that I walked away with. I was happy with material things around that time. I think I was about twelve or thirteen. On Christmas Day, we went to my grandparent's house. I can't remember what I got there. I only remember that I had an amazing time, because we'd just gotten a new puppy in September, and he'd come along. My brother and I took him outside to let him run in the snow. We left one of the walkie talkies my brother got for Christmas inside with my mom and took the other outside with us. We talked with her the entire time we chased the puppy around the dark yard. After we got done playing, we went back inside and my mom said it was time to go home. No, it was time for she and I to go home. Around that time, my brother lived with my grandmother and didn't come home with us anymore. So, she and I packed up all of our stuff, gifts, leftovers from dinner, and left in the car. We ended up having to turn around and go right back to my grandparent's house after we got home, because as was typical of my mom's boyfriend, he was drunk and passed out in the living room and had locked us out. My mom didn't have a key. So we spent Christmas night at my grandparent's house. I remember not being bothered by it at all, because I was able to spend the entire night with my whole family while we were all still getting along. Things got bad after that year, but I'll always remember that year, because I was happy.

Christmas used to be such a family holiday for us but since that year, it's turned into a big fest of who can get the better bargains and the most gifts for other people. The food isn't even that good anymore. I find myself wishing every year that something will be like it used to and I'll be happy, even for just five minutes, with my family.

Kody and his family don't celebrate Christmas, but not for religious reasons, just because they never really had the money to do so. I don't think badly or different or them because of it. Contrary, I think they were smart to never commercialize Christmas the way everyone else has. It just saddens me a bit, because part of the joy of the holiday season to me is sitting next to the Christmas tree with its lights twinkling and reading a book with a cup of hot chocolate. I've made Kody promise me that I can at least decorate for the holiday. I don't care about presents and whatnot. I'm just going to decorate and make my cookies. I'll still be spending Christmas with my mother like I always do.

Anyway, this is long winded enough. What are your thoughts on Christmas tradition? What do you and yours do?

Until next time-

Jade;

Thursday, November 4, 2010; 10:46am + PICTURES

Hello kids =)

Kody and I got two hamsters yesterday to join Willow, Thistle, and Peyton! =) They're two girls, named Cloudy and Stormy! Here are some pictures.

Stormy =)

Cloudy!

Stormy having a nap.

Peyton watching the girls like a hawk.

Hope you like them! =)

Monday, November 1, 2010; 1:59pm: The Season of Giving; My Challenge for You

Halloween is over and it is now the season of giving. While you and your family are sitting down to wonderful dinners of turkey, ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and corn, there are children all over the world that will not be able to experience those things because they lack the funds, supplies, and/or ability to do so. There are children and families, even here in the United States, that cannot have the Thanksgivings and Christmases that we celebrate every year.

Last Saturday, October 30, I volunteered with the Indiana organization American Bikers Aimed Toward Education (ABATE) to raise funds for Toys for Tots. Fifteen volunteers stood on the busiest intersection in our city and took donations from passing cars. In just three hours, we raised $1400. All of the proceeds will go straight to the United Ministries to give Christmas to children whose parents cannot.

My challenge for all of you this season of giving is a simple one. At one point or another we all have $5 we can spare. I want all of you to find a charity that you love and give that spare $5 to that charity. You can give it to any charitable organization you choose, a local one, a worldwide funding network, even a church offering in which all proceeds will go to a charity they choose.

I have five hundred friends on Facebook alone. If all five hundred of those people give just $5 to their favorite charity, we will have raised $2500 to charities all over the world.

If you're having trouble choosing a charity to give to, visit here: http://listofcharities.net/

"List of Charities" will help you make an informed decision about which charities are the best to give to this holiday season. Many charities have webpages that give several options on how to give, which include addresses to mail money orders to and PayPal accounts that can be paid into online. However, if you don't want to send out a money order and you don't have a credit/debit card to pay online, you can look around your city for plenty of places that are asking for donations.

Be weary, however. Make sure that the organization you are choosing to give to is a legitimate charity. There are loads of scams out there.

The charitable organization that I am choosing to give to this year is, as always, Music for Relief.

Music For Relief is a grassroots effort comprised of musicians, music industry professionals and fans who believe that together we can create positive change. Established in 2005 to provide aid for those affected by the tsunami tragedy in South Asia, the idea for Music For Relief originated amongst the members of the band Linkin Park who wanted to do something to help the victims. The idea was that if they made a donation, and then asked their musician peers and their fans to make a donation as well, a huge impact could be made in assisting relief efforts. With this in mind, they started reaching out to others in the music community to get involved and became the founders of Music For Relief.

As proof: http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd260/PPSignHead/DonationReceipt.png

I wish you all a happy holiday season, hoping that you, your family, and your friends have the health and happiness they deserve. I also hope that you can all help other families around the world achieve these wonderful things as well.

Happy Holidays;

Jade

Saturday, October 30, 2010; 5:05pm

Growing up in a small town, I didn't get out much to visit some of the great restaurants and cafés of the world. However, I didn't have to go too far to get some of that great food those places offer.

Rochester Bagel and Deli Co. in Rochester, Indiana is the place to go if you're looking for a nice, hot breakfast or lunch menu that is both time and cost efficient.

This quaint little café on 9th street offers a wide variety of bagels, all of which are made fresh on site every day. It also has a schmorgesborg of different soups, my favorite of which are the delicious taco soup and broccoli and cheddar soup. Besides soups and bagels, the "bagel shop," as it has affectionately been named by my friends and I, serves many delictable jet teas, coffees, frappuccinos, and juices to go with the amazing wraps, muffins, and breads. Everything from the soups to the teas is made freshly every day, and everything is made to order.

If you're ever coming through this part of the state, stop in a try a steak, egg, and cheese, "everything" flavored bagel and a blended mocha coffee with a shot of honey vanilla. You won't regret it, I promise you that!

Visit the wonderful employees and owners at 231 E 9th St in Rochester, Indiana.

Saturday, Ocotober 30, 2010; 4:57pm

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the dead called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain, whose original spelling was Samuin (pronounced sow-an or sow-in)". The name is derived from Old Irish and means roughly "summer's end". A similar festival was held by the ancient Britons and is known as Calan Gaeaf (pronounced Kálan Gái av). The festival of Samhain celebrates the end of the "lighter half" of the year and beginning of the "darker half", and is sometimes regarded as the "Celtic New Year".

The ancient Celts believed that the border between this world and the Otherworld became thin on Samhain, allowing spirits (both harmless and harmful) to pass through. The family's ancestors were honoured and invited home while harmful spirits were warded off. It is believed that the need to ward off harmful spirits led to the wearing of costumes and masks. Their purpose was to disguise oneself as a harmful spirit and thus avoid harm. In Scotland the spirits were impersonated by young men dressed in white with masked, veiled or blackened faces. Samhain was also a time to take stock of food supplies and slaughter livestock for winter stores. Bonfires played a large part in the festivities. All other fires were doused and each home lit their hearth from the bonfire. The bones of slaughtered livestock were cast into its flames. Sometimes two bonfires would be built side-by-side, and people and their livestock would walk between them as a cleansing ritual.

Another common practice was divination, which often involved the use of food and drink.

The name 'Halloween' and many of its present-day traditions derive from the Old English era.

The word Halloween is first attested in the 16th century and represents a Scottish variant of the fuller All-Hallows-Even ("evening"), that is, the night before All Hallows Day. Up through the early 20th century, the spelling "Hallowe'en" was frequently used, eliding the "v" and shortening the word. Although the phrase All Hallows is found in Old English (ealra hālgena mæssedæg, mass-day of all saints), All-Hallows-Even is itself not attested until 1556.

Pretty interesting stuff!