Chanukah started off with a big BANG!
The Shabbos before was snowy but inside was warm with friendship and fun at the Langsners, just a few minutes away in Bayswater. Besides for a nice midnight wake-up on Shabbos morning (Shaina thought it was so fun to wake up in the middle of the night), we had a great time shmoozing and eating. Motzai Shabbos I went out with Rochie to Target (so crowded you couldn’t get a cart) and bought some gifts and other essentials. Then we went to Coffee Bar and ate some yummy French Onion soup, fettuchini alfredo and chef salad. What fun it was to have girls night out, haven’t done that in forever!
Sunday was erev Chanukah. The day started with pouring rain, great reason to stay inside and do something differnet and chanukah-dik. What could I make to bring to the two parties that was somewhat differnet and original? Hmmm…a daring part of me said why not try to make sufganiyot! So, I googled an easy pareve recipe, and found this one which was actually for miniatures. Despite the fact that it was somewhat of a patchke, I did it and it came out fantastic!! It was a hit at the parties and none were left. Lemme tell you, if I can do it ANYONE can and I actually got more than 50 mini-donuts.
In between waiting for the dough to rise, I polished and set up the menorah. We had to make the area baby-proof so we did a little rearranging with the rocking chair and cabinet. I also gave Shaina a bath and a nap so she’d be awake for all the parties. Adiel came home, lit chanukah licht and we all sang and sat and enjoyed watching the candles burn together. We also gave out presents, Adiel got me gorgeous earrings from Macys, I got him a wallet and we gave Shaina a little peoples car (actually something we got as a baby gift from cousin Devorah a few months back). She really played with it! She was also especially enamored by the dancing light. Thank you Hashem for giving me a wonderful family to enjoy this time with; the memories of wishful thinking chanukahs are very clear in my mind!
We finished getting dressed up and off we went to Flatbush, where not one but TWO chanukah parties were taking place! First we stopped at the Langsners who never fail to invite us into their homes and lives as if we were family. The first thing that hit me was their warm living room — they had a fire place going! How cozy and warm! They also had a gorgeous and delicious milchig spread, from baked ziti to three different types of latkes to coins, fruit and sufganiyot for desert. Shaina enjoyed the latkes a lot and looked all yummy and cute! We stayed and atefor half hour and Mrs. Langsner (Bubby) even gave Shaina gift. How wonderful!
Then, it was off to the next party, the Price one at Aunt Suri and Uncle Meir. Even though it was 7:30, we got there before a bunch of cousins and sibs. At about 8 almost everyone was there. And was a party it was! Gorgeous display — everyone got their own cookie with their name on it as a name card, and the kids table had a coloring chanukah tablecloth! There were about 8 chafing dishes with different delicious fleishig dishes; different kinds of chicken, latkes, wontons, meat knishes, etc. Plus salads and homemade garlic bread! Wow, you could tell how hard she worked on it. It was one of the nicest family parties I can remember! In all, 6 of marrieds were there with spouse and kids, plus Moish, Yitzy and ‘the adults’, plus a cousin from the other side. When did we all get so big, WE used to be the kids and now most of us are toting our own!? How cute that all the babies that we were pregnant with last year were crawling around in the corner together and the older ones were reuniting. Good food, music, lots of space (she did it upstairs in her ’simcha hall), loved ones together, shmoozing and laughing, lots of pictures taken (at one point we took Basy’s by mistake), what more could you want at a family Chanukah party? A fantastic game that Zevi and Chevi made up. I never saw such a cute thing – it was Othello in teams done on a checkerboard with SANDWICH COOKIES as the pieces! How cute! The teams were divided up and everyone really got into it, from the little ones who had to answer what letters were on the dreidel, to the lumdish ones of how tall a Menorah could be, there was a question for all levels and types. The game got somewhat derailed when the Koster kids started turning over whichever cookies they wanted to, but everyone had a blast anyway and a chance to answer a question. Homemade sorbet for desert along with my yummy sufganiyot and there was even a minyan for maariv! Shaina ate more latkes, and thoroughly enjoyed her first night of Chanukah. THanks so much for all the hard work that all the party makers put into the wonderful enjoyable parties! Pics to come on Facebook soon. They’re just a pain to upload here, but maybe I’ll do a couple too.
Today and tomorrow are chilled out, just nice dinners with the three of us. Wed night we head to the LES for the UJC Chanukah Chagigah and more time with Bubby and the Kosters. We’ll be there till Motzai Shabbos IYH and look forward to doing some cool Chanukah stuff in the city on Thursday.
Happy Chanukah all!