BUZZURRO

For those unfamiliar with the story of Hannukah here is a link :

The celebration of Hanukkah goes back to 165 B.C.E. (B.C.E. stands for “Before the Common Era,” which is an alternative way of referring to the Christian-based calendar). At that time, the Jews of Judea had lived for many years under the oppressive hand of Syria, whose rulers outlawed Jewish worship and desecrated the temple in Jerusalem. Even though they were outnumbered, the Jews took up arms to defend their lifestyle and religion. They overwhelmed the Syrians in two decisive battles. Their leader was Judah Maccabees, whose mythic strength earned him the nickname “The Hammer.”

Legend has it that when the Jewish army entered the temple to reconsecrate it, their first task was to rekindle the Eternal Light, a sacred oil lamp that was left burning continuously. The Maccabees had one jar of oil, enough to keep the flame lit only for a single day. They sent out a messenger to find and bring back more sanctified oil, and it took the messenger eight days to return. Miraculously, the Eternal Light continued to burn those eight days. Hanukkah, which also is called the Festival of Lights, celebrates that wonder.

One of the traditions Jewish people do is to light one candle a night for 8 nights to commemorate the miracle of the lights (that lasted for 8 days instead of one). One other thing they do is to eat foods fried in oil to commemorate the miracle of the oil (that lasted for 8 days instead of one.)
Now here is my dilemma; as any overweight person trying to lose weight can tell you, eating food fried in oil is a no-no.
One of the traditional foods is latkes, usually made with potatos and onions. They not only are fried in oil, because of their consistency, they also absorb a lot of oil. One latka alone packs a lot of calories and fat.

What do I do?
Eat them anyway !

Happy Hannukah everyone !

My Personal New Year’s Resolutions are to:

1. Be a loving wife to my dear husband
2. Find a job
3. Find a better job if necessary
4. Lose some weight-either by dieting, joining a gym or most likely both
5. Be a good daughter for my parents
6. Be a good aunt to my niece who is only 10 months old but has never even seen me before
7. Have a child (or children)
8. Enjoy the beauty of life
9. Have just enough money to not be dirt poor, or filthy rich, but enough to live comfortable
10. Be helpful to others

Happy 2006 to all our Readers !

The top ten reasons why everyone should celebrate Hanukkah:

• 10. No big, fat guy getting stuck in your chimney
• 9. Cleaning wax off your menorah is slightly easier than dismantling an 8-foot tall fir tree
• 8. Compare: chocolate gelt (coins) vs. fruitcake
• 7. No brutal let-down when you discover that Santa Claus isn’t real
• 6. No need to clean up big piles of reindeer poop off your roof
• 5. No roof damage from reindeer
• 4. Fun waxy buildup on the menorah
• 3. You won’t see, “You’re a Putz, Charlie Brown.”
• 2. No pine needles to vacuum up afterwards.

And the Number One reason why everyone should celebrate Hanukkah is:
None of that Naughty-Nice Stuff. EVERYONE GETS LOOT !!!

Shamelessly stolen from Humor Matters.

We Wish Our Readers a Happy and Safe Holiday Season !

Pope Benedict XVI warned of Christmas materialism and said the Christmas spirit is being contaminated.

Pope Warns Against Xmas Materialism
Christmas spirit is being contaminated, he says (ANSA) - Vatican City, December 11 - Pope Benedict XVI warned on Sunday that materialism was stifling the true spirit of Christmas.

Read the rest of article here.

This is not news to us Jews who often shake our heads in amazement at how consumerist a holiday which commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ has become. Oh, I am not against the many Christmas decorations (that’s holiday decorations for all you ACLU fans out there) or Salvation Army Santas raising money for the poor (that’s evil solicitors in red and white suits to you ACLU fans), but I am against the spending of hundreds of dollars by parents for their kids and relatives.
Christmas should be about giving, it should be about family,food and fun; not about spending the most money or buying the latest trendiest toys and gifts.

When I was younger I used to spend Christmas at a Catholic friend’s house. Every Christmas she received gifts from her parents and relatives. Her parents used to buy her maybe 3 gifts, maximum, for a total of maybe 40 bucks. (probably 80 dollars today). She was quite happy with everything she got.
A few years ago while in California, a co-worker invited me to her house to spend Christmas with her, her 2 kids, mother, brother and 2 nieces. My co-worker was a single mother with 2 cute daughter so I went.

Midnight came, and all the 4 children came running down the stairs to the living room where the tree and presents were to open their gifts. Gifts ? The room looked more like a warehouse for Walmart ! I was looking at thousands of dollars of toys. Practically all bought for by a woman who was supporting 2 kids by herself too. Surely one or two gifts would have sufficed for each child and the money spent could go towards rent or a new car.

My co-worker, and no doubt the rest of her family, were not religious in the least. They never went to church, so while I didn’t expect a religious Christmas, I did not expect this scenario either.

I know that the reason for giving gifts is to give happiness, but couldn’t they be happy with a little less? I was quite turned off by such blatant consumerism. It was sickening to be honest. I am not a communist or socialist against all evils of capitalism either, but people shouldn’t feel the need to be such consumerists.
This is what the Pope is talking about, materialism in excess, not the first Christmases of my youth.

…to my wife, to my in-laws, to all American people who I know in person, to all Americans who read this, and to all of you who celebrate the spirit of Thanksgiving.