Happy Hanukkah. My apartment building has huge Christmas wreaths around the outside lights, poinsettias the size of Jumbo the elephant on all sides of the lobby, and a tiny brass menorah for the few who happen to be of the Jewish persuasion. Two of my three grandchildren are half Christian and half Jewish - so we do a Chrisnukkah when they visit. Sam, the Lab, is definitely Jewish. He has the melancholy eyes of an ancient Rabbi who has seen it all, suffered much, and silently studies the minutiae of the Torah for the meaning of life - between meals. Byron the cat is an agnostic - he seeks satisfaction in the here and now and scoffs at Sams unspoken but deeply held beliefs. And me? Well, if you have read A Christmas Lilly - which is included in my Cousin Bella book, you will learn how my mother managed to smuggle a Christmas tree into my long ago childhood. Like most people I have a love/hate relationship with the holidays. I love my family and the holidays bring visits but I hate shopping - even on the internet - and there is something compulsory about Christmas giving - and I have never been one who likes to take orders - even from a holiday. But I go along with the tide, and my grandchildren are now wise enough to know that the package waiting for them near the fireplace contains - you guessed it - a book or two.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 14:12:43 +0000