Rant #2,277: It's Over

Well, Hanukkah in my house ended quietly, which to me, was the perfect ending for the holiday.

The holiday ended last night with the lighting of the eighth candle on the menorah, and I am sure menorahs are still burning across the world, as people have not yet awakened depending on where they are, but since I got up at my usual 3:30 a.m., the menorah was removed from our kitchen window after I showered and got dressed.

So I guess you can say that officially, the holiday ended at about 3:50 a.m. in my house.

It was a pretty good holiday. My son recited the prayer for the lighting of the candles in perfect fashion, and while we discovered that our menorah might be on its last legs, like the original menorah in the Old Temple, it managed to stay lit for eight nights.

We have used this particular electric menorah for about 10 years I would say, and after our previous menorah finally burned out after decades--my family used our family's original electric menorah from the 1960s--this more modern menorah simply could not hold up like its predecessor did, so we most probably will be in the market for a new one of Hanukkah 2019.

And what would Hanukkah be without food? I don't particularly like jelly donuts, so we didn't have any of those, but the holiday is not the holiday without potato pancakes, or potato latkes, and I was really pining for them this year, as I do every year.

I actually was going to buy the potato latke mix, but I completely forgot to do do so.

I thought I was looking for a Hanukkah without latkes, but my mother came through with her specialty for my family.

She made a whole plateful of them--there must have been 30 of them there--and i had a couple of them hot off the griddle, and there is nothing better.

Some people have them with apple sauce or with sugar or even sour cream, I have them plain, and they are absolutely delicious.

Look, no fried food is good for you, but my mother makes them with oatmeal, so they are lighter than other ones, which, sometimes after eating one, you feel like you have a bowling ball in your stomach.

These are so light and airy that you can't have just one. This morning, to signify the end of the holiday, I had three, and I packed three away for lunch.

They are that good!

But let's go back to last night.

While lighting the last candle of the menorah, for the first time in memory, I made a little speech to my son and wife, and it was very heartfelt.

I said that this year, at least to me, was not a good year. It was a very difficult time for my family, in a variety of ways, and that the lighting of the last candle on the menorah signifies the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one, one that I believe will be better than the past year, in particular if we work hard at making it a good year.

I then gave my son and wife two surprise gifts for the last night, things that I had bought but they didn't have any idea they were getting. Just two gift cards, but whatever the case, surprise gifts.

My wife told me that I shouldn't have done it, but I did, what can I tell you.

We kissed, and that was that.

For those who celebrated the holiday, I hope it was a good one for you.

For those who celebrate Christmas, I hope the holiday brings you everything you have asked for, and more.

Me, I am looking forward to the days off that Christmas and the coming New Year's Day bring, if for nothing else than I can sleep a bit longer.

But whatever the case, have a good holiday, whatever one you follow.

Mine is done, and I look forward to a better 2019 for myself and all of us.