Classic Rant #1,343 (December 17, 2014): On the First Night of Hanukkah

No, I am not going to burst into song, substituting Hanukkah imagery into that classic Christmas song.

But we did have a nice night last evening, the first night of Hanukkah.

Although sundown--the start of the holiday--was actually at about 4:37 p.m. or so, this guy had to work, so I did not get home until around 6 p.m.

I ate--we had meatloaf, green beans, salad and yes, potato latkes from my mother--and the meal was delicious.

Not only did I have extra meatloaf--my wife makes the best tasting meatloaf on the planet--but I could have had more latkes--heck, I could have eaten the entire plateful of these things--but I held off, because I could be 400 pounds very easily.

Then it was time for the celebration.

In this neck of the woods, at about 5:40 p.m. yesterday on my way home, it started to pour, almost out of nowhere.

Happily, at least on my route, there weren't too many cars on the road, which is unusual--did many leave early for Hanukkah?--so I was able to make my way home pretty easily.

The same could not be said of my father. He was still not home when I was done eating and ready to go for the holiday, so my mother asked if we could postpone their participation until today, the second night.

I wasn't happy, but I obliged.

So it was just going to be my little family doing the celebrating last night--sans my daughter, who was probably celebrating the holiday with her mother--and we did.

My son and I lit the menorah. We said the prayer in Hebrew and then in English, and I let him mainly do the recitation. I am happy he knows the prayer in both Hebrew and English, as I do.

Anyway, we lit our menorah--yes, it is electric, not like the one in the accompanying photo--and it is very modern and nice, and the window shined with that glow that I enjoy this time of year. I am sure it looked the same way outside.

We then moved over to the presents we had for each other.

My son got a winter jacket, a video game, a computer, and in a complete surprise to him, Yankees tickets for a game on his birthday in August.

My wife got some gift cards--Dunkin' Donuts and Kohl's--and she wanted this, so I got it for her--the new Keurig 2.0 coffee maker. I am not a coffee drinker, so I have no idea why she wanted this thing, but she does love her coffee, which I guess is the best reason of all. She also received a box of her favorite coffee to use in the new machine.

Then it was my turn. My parents gave me my gift even though they weren't participating last night, and they got me the requisite clothes. My family got me a box of 1970s music trivia cards, a gift certificate to my local record store, and the Batman TV series on DVD.

Yes, the theme of this year's Hanukkah was simplicity.

Our Hanukkah celebration was pretty subdued this year, but it was fun. Tonight, my parents will be with us, so it will be another nice evening.

The eight days will go fast, and before you know it, Hanukkah 2014 will be but a memory ...

But a real nice one, one that I will cherish forever.