This blue and white display caught my eye as I zipped through my mostly red and green Publix yesterday. Even though Chanukah (Hanukkah?) is almost over, there’s still plenty of holiday merch on these shelves. Must haves include menorahs, games, dreidels, straws, stickers, and potholders.
But my favorite item is the box of eight milk chocolate Macabbees. Not as many as the twenty-four piece chocolate Advent calendar, but more than a typical box of chocolate Santas.
The Maccabees were Jewish freedom fighters before the birth of Jesus Christ. Their revolt against the Seleucid empire secured freedom for the nation. They rededicated the temple in Jerusalem and reestablished Jewish worship in 164 BC. Hanukkah is the eight-day celebration of that event.
Spoiler alert: Most of “Christmas” revolves around fictional characters (Santa, Frosty, the Grinch, Rudolph, Jack Skellington, Buddy the elf, Mickey and Minnie Mouse). Hanukkah is the real deal, honoring those through whom God would send a Savior, who is the real deal of Christmas. (Oh, and yes, you can buy a chocolate nativity.)
When I went to college, many of my friends were Jewish. Cliff taught me this little jingle:
“I had a little dreidel, I made it out of clay; And with my little dreidel, I lost ten bucks today.”
Waite for it... 