Post Chanukah Check-In

Recapping the joys, big & small, of our festival of light.

Hi friends!!!

I think we all need a check-in :).

I love Chanukah and all that it brings. It’s hectic, a lot, and exhausting, to say the least.

So, how are you doing? I want to know for real, so please share in the comments.

I’ll go first:

I’m currently in Texas, and I’m writing this at 11:00 PM because it’s the first second I’ve had all day. This year, Chanukah fell during our kids’ winter break, so on top of juggling Chanukah, we got to do it all with the kids at home. We spent the first week in Bozeman, hosted a beautiful Chanukah Bash, an awesome Menorah lighting downtown, and a lovely Shabbos Chanukah. Then, on Sunday morning, the three kids who live at home and I headed to San Antonio. We wanted to spend time with my family and get away for a bit, using our break to the fullest.

You would think that traveling solo with three big kids wouldn’t be that difficult, but alas, that is not the case. They demand all of my undivided attention all day, so here we are at 11 PM, finally having a minute to share a little Chanukah recap.

My most recent essay was a throwback to Chanukah during COVID. Now onto the present!

I really do love the energy and vibe of Chanukah. It’s just a really positive, light-filled holiday. There is something beautiful about being immersed in that energy for eight whole days. The flip side, for me, is overtired, over-sugared kids and exhausted, overstimulated mamas. But it’s worth it, right? Right!

When I look back at all the Chanukahs as a mom and go further back to all the Chanukahs as a child, I can see that so many beautiful, long-lasting memories are made over the week of Chanukah. This year was especially memorable for our family.

Besides hanging with family in San Antonio—which is the reason we came—there was an extra bonus of attending the annual Chanukah on the River concert, put on by my parents at the San Antonio Riverwalk, which featured the awesome Nissim Black.

If you’ve been with me on here for a while, you’ll know how extra epic this is.

My son is Black and recently experienced some hard moments in connection with race. Nissim Black has been one of his favorite singers for years, and he knows every single lyric to every single one of his hip-hop/rap songs. So, going to a Nissim Black concert is a literal dream come true. As his mother, watching him enjoy and absorb the energy was a wonderful experience, but it got even better when he was invited on stage to sing together with Nissim. I bet you can imagine what that felt like for him and for me :).

A balm for the soul and a beautiful, healing experience.

I shared some clips on Instagram, and it’s clear that it was touching for so many. In truth, that was another layer of comfort. The fact that so many of you care and are invested in my family is still hard to wrap my brain around. I know I share and let you in, but you respond in such a loving way. Thank you!

Menny & Nissim Black

I think it’s so important to share when things go right, when there’s joy and celebration. I shared when things were tough, so it only makes sense to share when there is beauty and support as well. Sometimes it’s easier to share the struggles than it is to share the joys. I don’t know exactly why that is, but I’ve said this before, and I stand by it. I have some ideas as to why, but I’ll save that for another post :).

Anyway, this week we definitely made core memories! I have to say, though, that yes, this was a big moment for Menny and a major moment of our Chanukah joy, but I thoroughly enjoyed all the little moments of Chanukah too. Singing by the menorah, the laughter and connection around the table, the dreidel games, the community celebrations—they are really so powerful.

As I reflect on this Chanukah, I am full of gratitude for all the moments, “big” and “small.” Thank you, Hashem.

Now I’m ready for school to start and for some moments of quiet :).

All my love,

Chavie