This past Sunday, December 13th the Suffolk Cluster of Au Pair in America enjoyed a holiday party at Community Counselor, Cindy Garruba’s home. There was an International Feast with dishes prepared by au pairs from all over the world. 
We played a little game and the au pairs won some prizes. A grab bag gift exchange and then Cindy played Santa and gave out gifts to each au pair!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
On Sunday, December 6th Au Pair in America Suffolk County Au Pairs and Host Families decorated a tree for the Promenade of Trees in Stony Brook Village. It was a beautiful, warm day and everyone enjoyed the festivities. 
Cindy Garruba, Senior Community Counselor for APIA, had decorations for the kids to make. We handed out coloring books to the kids waiting online to see Santa. Santa arrived in a horse drawn carriage at 2 pm to listen to all the kids’ Christmas wishes. There was a petting zoo, performers doing skits and singing songs. 100s of trees were decorated throughout the village and will be up through till the New Year.
Come down and check out Au Pair in America’s International Peace Tree just to the east of the Post Office right in front of the Stony Brook Gift Shop!
Hanukkah begins at sundown this Sunday, December 6th and ends on Monday, December 14th.
Hanukkah is the Jewish Feast of Lights or Feast of Dedication. The Hebrew word Hanukkah means dedication. The holiday begins on the eve of the 25th day of the Hebrew Month of Kislev and lasts eight days. Hanukkah usually falls in the month of December, but occasionally can start in November.
The history
The books of the Maccabees tell the story of Hanukkah which occurred in 165 B.C. After three years of struggle, the Jews in Judea defeated the Syrian tyrant Antiochus. The Jewish people held festivities in the Temple of Jerusalem, and rededicated it to God. After removing all Syrian idols from the Temple, the Jews found only one small pot of oil to light their holy lamps. Miraculously, the small pot provided oil for eight days. Judas Maccabaeus, the Jewish leader, then proclaimed a festival to be observed by Jewish people.
Hannukah Traditions
The Menorah
The centerpiece of the Hanukkah celebration is the Hanukkah or menorah, a candelabra that holds nine candles. Eight candles symbolize the number of days that the Temple lantern blazed; the ninth, the shamash, is a helper candle used to light the others. Families light one candle on the first day, two on the second (and so on) after sundown during the eight days of Hanukkah, while reciting prayers and singing songs. The menorah — either store-bought or homemade and crafted of metal, wood, papier mache, or clay — is filled from right to left, but lit left to right so each new candle is lit first.
Singing Songs
Hanukkah — one of the most family-oriented of Jewish holidays — comes with its own set of carols sung around the glowing menorah. These celebrate everything from the glory of God and the ancient Temple of the Jews (“Maoz Tzur”) to the simplicity of a dreidel (see below), as in “Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel/I made it out of clay/And when it’s dry and ready/Dreidel I shall play.”
Yummy Treats
There’s nothing low-fat about Hanukkah – many of the traditional foods of the holiday are deep-fried. In honor of the oil-y miracle people celebrating Hannukah like to eat foods that are fried in oil like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganyot (jelly-filled doughnuts) and different fried breads. Want to have a go at making something? There are lots of recipes for yummy treats here: http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/454611/jewish/Chanukah-Recipes.htm
Spinning Tops
It’s customary to play with dreidels (spinning tops) during the holiday, even wage gambling games in which players guess which side of the top will fall face up. Legend has it that during the Greek-Syrian dictatorship in Israel of yore, Jews got around the ban on reading the Torah by bringing spinning tops to study sessions so their oppressors would think they were just playing around. The Hebrew characters carved into the four sides of today’s dreidels are the first letters of “Ness Gadol Haya Po/Sham,” which roughly translates to “Great Miracle Happened Here/There” (depending on whether you’re in Israel or not).
For fun and educational activities for children go to http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/hanukkah/
Directions to play the Dreidel game (Play for Hershey kisses, a great way to have fun with the kids): http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/hanukkah/dreidel-game.html
A very Happy Hanukkah to all!
