For eight crazy nights each winter, my family and I celebrate Hanukkah with great food, lots of fun, gifts and of course, the lighting of the menorah – perhaps the most recognizable symbol of Hanukkah – but definitely not the only one.
For the uninitiated, Hannukkah commemorates an ancient battle victory, and the lighting of a sacred menorah. Despite the fact the menorah was nearly out of oil, the flame stayed lit for a full eight days. This is the miracle of Hannukkah.

Another symbol is the dreidel – a 4-sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter imprinted on each side. The letters are an acronym for the Hebrew words that translate to – A great miracle happened here – which refers to the miracle of the oil. A traditional way for children to celebrate is by playing games with the dreidel. In addition, the children are sometimes given one gift a day for eight days. The most traditional of these gifts are called Gelt (which is Hebrew for money), and most commonly take the form of chocolate coins.
Since joining DNA the team has embraced the holiday with me, and over the past 6+ years we have maintained the tradition of reciting the prayers and lighting the candles together each night before we go home.
Before I came on board, DNA holiday parties were just that – holiday parties. Now they are known as Christmukkah!! (Woohoo!)
I hope those of you that celebrated Hanukkah had a great one, and for those celebrating Christmas & Kwanzaa, they are only 20 & 22 days away!!
Christmukkwanza anyone?
Posted by: Brian