Feast of the Lights

For some 54 years, there has been a ritual of lighting candles around the holiday season. It has been amazing to me that so main Faith religions and traditions all celebrate the candle lighting around the same time of the year, always closing the old year or opening the New Year.

This tradition started in our family with two older children, Ilene and Alan. And now with the six families, and 20 grandchildren it has become quite a ceremony.

Basically, the ceremony is comprised of a set of 3 x 5 cards, with very simple prayers. The room is usually in darkness and each person lights a candle and reads a prayer.

After 50 years, my children are saying the prayers in unison with their children. There were years, when the grandchildren sat on their parents' laps. Now, the grandchildren are beautiful young men and women who read their own prayers.

To me, it is interesting that the prayers are well memorized and the parents, ranging in age from mid-forties up to the 60's, look for the card they enjoyed in their children, and read the same one year after year.

I for one, always read Eleanor Roosevelt's prayer: "Rather light a candle in a dark corner, than never light a candle at all".

Because it was impossible to have the large gatherings in my tiny house, and since Guy lives downstairs in the recreation room, this year, I brought up the family into smaller groups, and also invited many of the friends who are also part of my family, sometimes one by one, other times four to six at a time.

Erica had prepared the annual Holiday Free Gift Shop. These are gifts I brought home from all over during the past years. I was amazed what people were thrilled to find. Earings, necklaces, T-shirts. There was always a gasp when someone found something they really loved! Gradually, our store is getting short of supplies and each year I am in awe and gratitude for this beautiful custom that Erica has managed each year, the Holiday Free Gift Shop.