All I Want for Hannukah is You

Is it sacreligious that I've been spending all morning listening to Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You? song? What can I say? I'm a bit homesick this holiday season. I went to a family Hannukah party last night and, while it was a lot of fun, it wasn't my family Hannukah party. Granted, I don't remember the last night we had a formal Hannukah party in my house but last year we had a really nice time. I went back to my iPhotos and looked at my pictures. There was a really cute shot of my niece and my Dad after he lit candles. Dad was holding her and she was wearing his baseball cap, sporting a big black eye from a fall she had taken earlier that week. There was a picture of The Dude holding her and making a bad face cause she needed a big time diaper change. We've had some amazing Hannukah's in my family, including the year my parents got me the best present ever! They bought me a credit card sized radio with headphones. That was the coolest gift in the history of gift giving! I listened to the radio every single morning when I walked up the block to school. I listened to the radio during recess, and sometimes at lunch too. I listened to the radio morning, noon and night until I decided to listen to the radio during class and my teacher confiscated it. I never saw the credit card radio ever again.

Now y'all know why I've got a grudge against my elementary school. Those yeshiva teachers were evil!

I've been writing all morning and decided to take a quick break to blog. My kitchen is bare and, unless I plan on eating nothing but tea all week, I'm going to have to make a trip to the supermarket. I've been hanging close to home cause I really wanted to talk to Mom before I ran my errands, but I also have to buy a menorah and candles so I can light tonight. I really don't enjoy lighting candles by myself. I think I've been spoiled. When I first moved out on my own, I had no problem lighting candles by myself. In fact, I actually kind of like watching the candles burning down as I watched TV and relaxed until they burnt out and it was back to work! But then I moved in with Zaydie and we would light candles together, and then he would screw in the lightbulb on the electric menorah, and we would have light on the Lower East Side for the complete 8 days!

What can I say? Holidays are best spent with family. Period.

I have to pick up a few more Hannukah presents this afternoon and then it's back to work. I have a lot of reading to do for this week and I miscalculated in terms of my next story. Turns out, I'm workshopping the piece on January 2nd! That means, the story is actually due next Tuesday.

Yeah, I've got nothing in my arsenal for this one. I'm going to need a Hannukah miracle to get the juices flowing in time for the deadline.

WIshing everyone a Chag Sameach!

Song of the day is The Ballad of El Goodo by Evan Dando, an oldie but a goodie!