Happy Hanukkah

[Shisho]

To all of my Jewish friends out there, hope you're having a Happy Hanukkah! :D

[dragonbat]

I plan to when I get home to light candles. Chag Sameyach!

[Jack Zodiac]

And the greatest Hanukkah movie ever is on Comedy Central right now to help you guys celebrate, "Hebrew Hammer." :D

"Who's the cat who won't cop out when there's Gentiles all about?" Hammer!

[hellokittykat]

Heh, sounds like a family movie.;)

Happy Hanukkah to everyone who's starting their celebration tonight!:)

[Solaris]

May the Light in your life, and in the World, be renewed for another year... and bring joy with it. :) Blessings!

[Darediva]

May the Light in your life, and in the World, be renewed for another year... and bring joy with it. :) Blessings!

I can't top this sentiment, so I will echo it. Happy Hanukkah!

[Cam63]

I'm sorry I had bacon for breakfast.

Happy Hanukkah.

[bert]

thanks :)

I just finished lighting my electric menorah about an hour ago (Nick stood by, and watched me sing the prayer).

this is our first Holday season in our new house, and we have both a Menorah AND a Christmas tree -- a white tree with white lights, decorated in white and blue.

we also have lights on the front of the house (blue), and on the back (multicolored).

I have absolutely no issue whatsoever with him wishing to have Christmas decorations -- and he was even willing to go w/ Chanukkah colors (blue/white), so the house looks just lovely :)

I'll post pics sometime in the next few days!

[Tyr]

this is our first Holday season in our new house, and we have both a Menorah AND a Christmas tree -- a white tree with white lights, decorated in white and blue.


What you need there is a Menorah on the Christmas tree.

Happy Linked Hanukkah (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Hmr5YOewww) everyone of the Hebrew persuasion!

[heystacy]

Happy Hanukkah!

[Gotham]

I'm sorry I had bacon for breakfast.

Happy Hanukkah.


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

[Countess of night]

Happy Hanukkah from the Holiday Armadillo! :)

http://www.tvacres.com/images/armadillo_holiday.jpg

[Typo Lad]

And a happy Chanukkah to y'all too.

Also... joyous Noel, Solstice, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day, and Christmas.

I have to buy some latke ingredients.

[Flamebird]

thanks :)

I just finished lighting my electric menorah about an hour ago (Nick stood by, and watched me sing the prayer).

this is our first Holday season in our new house, and we have both a Menorah AND a Christmas tree -- a white tree with white lights, decorated in white and blue.

we also have lights on the front of the house (blue), and on the back (multicolored).

I have absolutely no issue whatsoever with him wishing to have Christmas decorations -- and he was even willing to go w/ Chanukkah colors (blue/white), so the house looks just lovely :)

I'll post pics sometime in the next few days!

An electric menorah? You kids and your new-fangled gadgets! :rolleyes:

While I know next to nothing about the holiday, Happy Chanukkah to all.

[Flamebird]

Happy Hanukkah from the Holiday Armadillo! :)

http://www.tvacres.com/images/armadillo_holiday.jpg

Bwhahhaaaaaaaaa!

Great, now I've got the theme to friends stuck in my head. :(

You really ARE evil. :p

[Typo Lad]

An electric menorah? You kids and your new-fangled gadgets!

I was gonna be nice and not say anything but...

Wassamater bert? Pyrophobic?

[Ed Cunard]

I was gonna be nice and not say anything but...

Wassamater bert? Pyrophobic?

Bert's a renter, right? Some places have prohibitions against open flames as part of the rental agreement, including candles.

[Solaris]

Bert's a renter, right? Some places have prohibitions against open flames as part of the rental agreement, including candles.

No, actually he and Nick bought a house. BUT, he may have concerns about leaving candles lit while sleeping or away (DO you leave them lit, guys?).

[Typo Lad]

The trick is to light them as early as possible (Technically around the time of Evening Services). Then you're supposed to be in the same room as then for the next half hour or so, if you can swing it.

I use just enough oil so that they'll last an hour or so tops. I also take extra fire-safety steps.

[Solaris]

The trick is to light them as early as possible (Technically around the time of Evening Services). Then you're supposed to be in the same room as then for the next half hour or so, if you can swing it.

I use just enough oil so that they'll last an hour or so tops. I also take extra fire-safety steps.

Do you make your own candles? Or are you using some kind of oil lamps? Or are you talking an anointing oil? And I gather that you're supposed to let them burn down till they go out, not snuff them, right?

[Typo Lad]

We use glass cups with olive oil and floating wicks. Daphna lights candles on a menorah she made her self last year. it has fire retardant tiles... ya gotta love that.

One is supposed to let them burn out. You are indeed not supposed to snuff them... that would be at cross-purposes to the tradition.

"The oil lasted eight days and we light to remember aaand that's enough remembering now."

If you're ever in NY for Chanukah, you and your kin have an open invite.

Well, any time of the year actually.

[Solaris]

We use glass cups with olive oil and floating wicks. Daphna lights candles on a menorah she made her self last year. it has fire retardant tiles... ya gotta love that.

One is supposed to let them burn out. You are indeed not supposed to snuff them... that would be at cross-purposes to the tradition.

"The oil lasted eight days and we light to remember aaand that's enough remembering now."

If you're ever in NY for Chanukah, you and your kin have an open invite.

Well, any time of the year actually.


Thanks!!! :D If I ever get to tag along with Troy to NYC again, we'll get together!

I wondered, because some of my rituals have the same requirement: let the candle burn down until it's out. There was one ritual I was making my own candles for, in part to help determine the burn time---but it took a lot of trial and error, to figure out how much wax to pour in order to get the right timing. (And making candles isn't as easy as one might think: for instance, in order to prevent the "sinkage" that happens around the wick when the wax cools, you have to do a second "fill in" pour when the candle is partially set. Argh.)

[Typo Lad]

Oil's much better than candles. Less cleanup and less setup.

[bert]

Oil's much better than candles. Less cleanup and less setup.

Know what's even better?

an Electric Menorah!

you plug it in, and then just screw in the bulbs (shaped like blue flames) to light them.

my Dad picked up about a dozen of these at Goodwill a few years ago, and handed them out to everyone. If I'm in town at my parents, we light the candles. . but on our own in Austin?

we simply do the electric one. . and it's PERFECT to put in the front window sill w/out worrying about the open flame near the curtains.

:)

[Typo Lad]

But it's not the same man.

That'd be like making latkes from a mix instead of scratch.

[bert]

But it's not the same man.

That'd be like making latkes from a mix instead of scratch.

(thinks of the boxes of Matzoh Ball mix and Latke mix in the pantry). .

but my Dad got them at Goodwill!

for like $1 each! -- since "nobody knew what they were" (despite the boxes saying right on them "Electric Menorah").

so right there, he kept it "Jewish". . a $1 each!

:p



and to be honest, they are very nice (white plastic bases -- approx. 15 inches from end to end -- w/ blue "candles". . it fits very well w/ the holiday decorating).

[Typo Lad]

(thinks of the boxes of Matzoh Ball mix and Latke mix in the pantry). .

What the heck, man?

Here, because I love you...

Cut one onion. Put in food processor. Set aside.

Take 6 potatoes. Peel, cut up so they fit in your food processor with a little less than a cup of water (or hand grate them into said water if you're my grandpa)

Tale a colander (that's a strainer to some). Put a large bowl under it. Put the ground up potatoes in the colander. Let the water drain out, mixing the potatoes to let all the extra moisture out. Let the bowl of "potato water" sit for a bit.

Take the ground up potato and put it in a bowl. Add ¼ of a cup matza meal, a dash of pepper, three shakes of sale, and two eggs. Mix it up reaaaaal good. Add the onion.

Now go back to your potato water. Pour the water back through the colander, catching it again in another bowl. Scrape the starch off the bottom of the old bowl and add it to the mix. Wait a few minutes and get the starch off the new bowl too. Mmm. Starch.

Alright, now you take your frying pan and pour on the oil! Be sure to put enough in that your Latkes will be mostly immersed. Let it get sizzling hot. Then drop some of the latke "batter" in and let cook till deep golden brown, flipping with a spatula. Don't use tongs, cause they'll break apart.

When they've fried, remove them and put them on a plate to soak. Put torn up brown paper bag on the plate to absorb the excess oil. It's gotta be bags. That there's the secret!

It's about 45 minutes out of your life, but it's worth the taste.


and to be honest, they are very nice (white plastic bases -- approx. 15 inches from end to end -- w/ blue "candles". . it fits very well w/ the holiday decorating).

It's like I don't even know you.

What's next, electric dreidels?

[Solaris]

But it's not the same man.

That'd be like making latkes from a mix instead of scratch.


I'm sorry bert, but I have to side with Morts on this one (yeah, being the babe who makes her own candles for ceremony, heh): Part of what you're doing is investing yourself into it... so, doing the old-fashioned way means more investment. Granted, w/the window thing, I'd do electric too---but for the spiritual side of things, I'd go with candles or oil on the dining table (or someplace else that's more safe from knockover and/or curtains), for the actual ceremony. :)

Here's why:
When you do a ceremonial observance, the more you invest in it (of yourself), the more power it has. (Speaking from a Pagan perspective.) When you dedicate yourself, and focus on something, it has meaning and power. When you've gone to some extra trouble to do it, that's more of you that's invested in it (providing that you're doing it because you want to---otherwise, the negative energy you have from being irritated over having to do it tends to cancel out your focus on the purpose). For instance, I may put up lots of Christmas lights, in part to observe Solstice... but on the actual night, I really *do* light a candle (in a candle lantern, placed where it won't tip over or mess with anything), and take a few moments to focus my thoughts, shed the day (so to speak), and just "be" in the moment and the purpose that I'm working with..." in this case, celebrating the Light in our lives, and giving a part of myself and my energy toward renewing and empowering that Light in the world. For me, it's both a thanksgiving and a giving toward that Light. It's good for the world and the Light, and it's good for me. In the long run, that's what matters, to me. :)

I'm not saying you can't get your focus from an electrial light system... I'm just saying that if you go to the extra time and work of creating, more of YOU is involved in the creation process... so it tends to have more power.

(This message has been brought to you by The Enlightened Pagans; all opinions are based on the personal knowledge and thoughts of the speaker, and do not reflect on the opinions of Management.) ;) :D Hee.

[Solaris]

What the heck, man?

Here, because I love you...





It's like I don't even know you.

What's next, electric dreidels?


Now, Morts, to each his own. You know that you're much more traditional than bert....

[Tyr]

but my Dad got them at Goodwill!

for like $1 each! -- since "nobody knew what they were" (despite the boxes saying right on them "Electric Menorah").

so right there, he kept it "Jewish". . a $1 each!

:p



and to be honest, they are very nice (white plastic bases -- approx. 15 inches from end to end -- w/ blue "candles". . it fits very well w/ the holiday decorating).

Plus think of how much money your saving on candles, oil, etc, I mean how much is that stuff going these days $5, $10? Oy! Just because its a tradition doesn't mean you should have to give in to highway robbery. ;)

[Typo Lad]

I'm sorry bert, but I have to side with Morts

NOW YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT!

Now, Morts, to each his own. You know that you're much more traditional than bert....

Oh I know, and it's cool, I just don't see the appeal.

Oh and here Solaris, for you (http://youtube.com/watch?v=U_Xdk4PujOE&feature=related)

[Typo Lad]

Plus think of how much money your saving on candles, oil, etc, I mean how much is that stuff going these days $5, $10? Oy! Just because its a tradition doesn't mean you should have to give in to highway robbery. ;)

Hah!

A big box of Chanukkah candles cost me two bucks. Where you shopping?

[Solaris]

Hah!

A big box of Chanukkah candles cost me two bucks. Where you shopping?


You're gonna laugh, but a Pagan friend of mine likes to get the tiny red "kosher" (or whatever you call it) candles for lighting things in her ceremonies, because they're already "clean and sanctified", so to speak. They're the really small candles (maybe 4" high and very thin, much like the candles used for wax seals). I have to agree with her: even though we're of a different religion, being able to find candles for lighting ceremonial stuff that are clean and made with good intent, are a big bonus... versus the "mass production" candles one often finds in various stores.

Yes, in some ways I'm really a traditionalist at heart, I guess you could say. I don't mind using candles made by someone else, if there's actually a person who *made* them, if the ingredients are natural, and if the intention was good (aka of the Light). My friend is the same way.

And the nice thing is, even though we aren't Jewish, we're helping to support the industry by buying their product. :) That's a win/win, in my book.

[bert]

Hurm

Well, I can honestly say that if I weren’t using the Electric, I probably wouldn’t even bother.

I’m simply not very religious – and I’m very much moreso than my Brother (or Sister), whom I can guarantee are not lighting any candles – electric or otherwise, and most certainly don’t even know the proper prayer to say.

By the time I get home from work, if I had to mess w/ real candles – and cleaning out the menorah from the prior night? I simply wouldn’t do it.

I’m just being honest.

This way, I put on my Yarmulke , sing the prayer, and “light” the candles. I enjoy doing it – and as I said, if I were at my parents, it WOULD be more of a tradition thing, and we would light the candles, and most likely play dreidel.

But since it’s just Nick and I, and no kids or family to bother w/ “tradition”, I’d rather participate in a way I can, rather than not even messing with it.

Does that make sense?

[Typo Lad]

It does indeed make sense.

And sorry Solaris, but those things ARE mass produced, methinks.

[Tyr]

Hah!

A big box of Chanukkah candles cost me two bucks. Where you shopping?

Only two bucks, and your not going to share with your friends where you got the candles? You're just going to let them pay through the nose for tradition? You're going to let your friends get robbed? And here I was inviting you to my house for a kosher feast. After all the time and money I spent on preparing it, you are going to let me pay twice as much for candles that I'm only going to light once a year? :p

[Typo Lad]

Only two bucks, and your not going to share with your friends where you got the candles? You're just going to let them pay threw the nose for tradition? You're going to let your friends get robbed? And here I was inviting you to my house for a kosher feast, after all the time and money I spent on preparing it, you are going to let me pay twice as much for candles that I'm only going to light once a year? :p
Oh I like you.

[Countess of night]

Bwhahhaaaaaaaaa!

Great, now I've got the theme to friends stuck in my head. :(

You really ARE evil. :p

Aww thanks. :)

*Sings* So no one told you life was going to be this way.
Your job's a joke, you're broke, you're love life's DOA...

[Flamebird]

Thanks!!! :D If I ever get to tag along with Troy to NYC again, we'll get together!

I wondered, because some of my rituals have the same requirement: let the candle burn down until it's out. There was one ritual I was making my own candles for, in part to help determine the burn time---but it took a lot of trial and error, to figure out how much wax to pour in order to get the right timing. (And making candles isn't as easy as one might think: for instance, in order to prevent the "sinkage" that happens around the wick when the wax cools, you have to do a second "fill in" pour when the candle is partially set. Argh.)

Gah!!!!!!! You make your own candles, too?

You ARE too cool for words aren't ya? wanna trade candle secrets sometime? I've benn making them for about ten years, but I'm always learning something new.

[Tyr]

Oh I like you.

Well, I figured sense a couple of Jews have written Thor, the least I could do, as a Norseman, is write a stereotypical Jew. :p

[Solaris]

Hurm

Well, I can honestly say that if I weren’t using the Electric, I probably wouldn’t even bother.

I’m simply not very religious – and I’m very much moreso than my Brother (or Sister), whom I can guarantee are not lighting any candles – electric or otherwise, and most certainly don’t even know the proper prayer to say.

By the time I get home from work, if I had to mess w/ real candles – and cleaning out the menorah from the prior night? I simply wouldn’t do it.

I’m just being honest.

This way, I put on my Yarmulke , sing the prayer, and “light” the candles. I enjoy doing it – and as I said, if I were at my parents, it WOULD be more of a tradition thing, and we would light the candles, and most likely play dreidel.

But since it’s just Nick and I, and no kids or family to bother w/ “tradition”, I’d rather participate in a way I can, rather than not even messing with it.

Does that make sense?

Absolutely! :)

[Solaris]

Gah!!!!!!! You make your own candles, too?

You ARE too cool for words aren't ya? wanna trade candle secrets sometime? I've benn making them for about ten years, but I'm always learning something new.

Thanks! *blush*

Well, if you've been making them that long, I'm sure you know a lot more about the art than I do. Heh. I haven't had time to really get into it, beyond doing what I needed for the moment, so basically I'm just using the white beeswax and the coloring waxes (when I'm not doing white), cotton wicks (no wire), plastic votive molds (and the spray that helps make the candles pop out), a metal melt container, and some thin popsicle-type sticks I got at a craft store.

I put the melt container into a pot of water (I went and bought one of those old blue-speckled pots, so I wouldn't end up getting wax drips in my regular cook pots), put the wax in the melt container, and wait till it melts. (I did buy a thermometer, which I use sometimes). After it's melted, I add in any colorant (if I'm doing colored candles), and stir till *that* is melted too.

I spray the votive molds, cut the wicks long, and then tie them to one of the sticks---I lay the sticks over the top of the mold, which both holds the wick upright in the candle, and lets me position it as centered as I can. The molds I got have a hole in the bottom for the wick to pass through; once I've gotten it through, I use a little of that sticky rubber stuff they sell, to both hold it in place and to seal the hole. I do the stick tying first, so that when I put the other end of the wick through the hole, I can pull that end tight before putting the sealant on---helps keep the wicks straight.

So. I pour, position the sticks as best I can, and wait. If I'm in a hurry, I may pop the mold into the fridge---it cools faster. After a bit, I check to see if the wax has settled yet; if it has, I then pour more wax in, to fill the "sinkage" area around the wick. Then back in the fridge they go. Sometimes I have to do the "top off" pour twice, depending on how they are setting up.

Finally, when they're set, I cut the wick off the stick, right at the candle; remove the sticky rubber sealant, and then give the tray a couple of good raps against the counter before flipping it over and tapping and slightly twisting, until the candles fall out. Then I trim the top of the wick, and I'm done. If I'm anointing candles, I usually do that right before the ceremony. I *have* put a tiny amount of essential oil in the wax melt at times... if you don't use too much, it doesn't seem to hurt the consistency, set of the wax, or change the burn time... and it adds a little bit of scent.

That's it. :D

At some point I want to learn more about making decorative candles, and trying some different sizes, maybe do some dipping, etc... but I have so many home projects going already, I have put that one "on the back burner," so to speak. ;)

[Solaris]

NOW YOU KNOW I'M RIGHT!



Oh I know, and it's cool, I just don't see the appeal.

Oh and here Solaris, for you (http://youtube.com/watch?v=U_Xdk4PujOE&feature=related)


Thanks, Morts---that's a cool song. :) (And a pretty lady singing it, too.)

[Flamebird]

Thanks! *blush*

At some point I want to learn more about making decorative candles, and trying some different sizes, maybe do some dipping, etc... but I have so many home projects going already, I have put that one "on the back burner," so to speak. ;)

Sounds like you have a pretty good grasp on it. A couple of things; if you aren't making ceremonial candles, try cutting the beeswax with parrafin.

You'll get a smoother finish and a better burn. I get all of my essential oils and herbs from a friend of mine who's dad is a medicine man,so I don't have to go through "purifying" them myself(yeah I'm lazy ;) ).

I brought a bunch of candles to cape this year and handed 'em out like candy, so I'll probably bring some more next year,; just cause I enjoy them.

Sorry to get so off topic, so here's a little candle I make for my Jewish friends.
I don't know if they really like them or if they just laugh at me after I'm gone; but I think they're pretty.

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o103/flamebird_2006/starofdave.jpg

[Typo Lad]

Dar rocks. Great voice and awesome lyrics.

[Solaris]

Sounds like you have a pretty good grasp on it. A couple of things; if you aren't making ceremonial candles, try cutting the beeswax with parrafin.

You'll get a smoother finish and a better burn. I get all of my essential oils and herbs from a friend of mine who's dad is a medicine man,so I don't have to go through "purifying" them myself(yeah I'm lazy ;) ).

I brought a bunch of candles to cape this year and handed 'em out like candy, so I'll probably bring some more next year,; just cause I enjoy them.

Sorry to get so off topic, so here's a little candle I make for my Jewish friends.
I don't know if they really like them or if they just laugh at me after I'm gone; but I think they're pretty.

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o103/flamebird_2006/starofdave.jpg


Wow, that's beautiful! I love how clean the inlaid blue color is. If you have more pics of your work, I'd love to see 'em.

[Tyr]

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o103/flamebird_2006/starofdave.jpg

For some reason, when I see this, I think of cake. Does anyone have a picture of a Star of David cake?

[Phoney Bone]

Hanukkah Harry brought me a package of socks tonight... EIGHT PAIRS!!

Sweet!

http://www.leenite.org/jonisland/hharry/airharry.jpg

[Flamebird]

Wow, that's beautiful! I love how clean the inlaid blue color is. If you have more pics of your work, I'd love to see 'em.

Thanks.

I do lots of hand detailing, I like them to have some personality; rather than just wax with a wick.

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o103/flamebird_2006/Waxfruit%20Candles/cherubvotive.jpg
even something as simple as a votive. :D


Here's a link to a bunch more pics, if ya want to look.
http://s118.photobucket.com/albums/o103/flamebird_2006/Waxfruit%20Candles/