In December 2022, we made a promise to our children: a New Year’s Eve celebration at Grammie and Grampy’s house, a sleepover with the entire family. The girls sleep at their house fairly often, but the very thought of having the entire family sleepover was beyond exciting to them. And then, it happened. December 30th marked the start of the Infamous NYE Stomach Bug of 2022. Matthew went down first, and by the next day, Eloise, Mom, and Grammie were taken down with him. Sympathy was there in theory for Eloise, enduring her first stomach bug at three, but in practice, I didn’t possess the capability to show sympathy because I was just as sick. Clara took charge of the household on December 31st, single-handedly managing things as our epic sleepover plans were thwarted.
And so, a new tradition emerged from a broken promise: Instead of New Year’s Eve, we embraced Lunar New Year a few weeks later. In late January, we gathered to honor the Year of the Rabbit. Lanterns adorned our home, hues of red and yellow filled the air, and we introduced the kids to their very first red envelopes. Stuffed rabbits became their gifts, and they braved their inaugural taste of Tang Yuan, a sticky, sweet treat. Though the chewy balls weren’t a hit, the celebration certainly was. Our children immersed themselves in another culture’s traditions, discovering the ritual of sweeping out bad luck before midnight struck. Seeing them play with their Chinese rabbits fills me with joy to this day. And, on February 9th, we will herald in the Year of the Dragon!
Yet, the universe insists there’s more to explore, more traditions for our family to embrace. Enter Walter.
On November 10th, our family welcomed a 12-week-old puppy, a rescue from Louisiana, into our lives. The kids were ecstatic, eager to pick out his new toys from the aisles of Petsmart. Amidst the overwhelming choices—bones or stuffed toys, chicken or beef flavors—the excitement took a chaotic turn. Eloise needed a bathroom break, Harrison wanted to adopt a fish, and before we knew it, chaos ensued. Hastening through the checkout, we hurried home to introduce Walter to his forever family.
As we unpacked our purchases, a surprise emerged: a Hanukkah dog toy, a stuffed moose with the cheerful message “Ready for a Lit Hanukkah” stitched to his belly. We’re still not sure if our dear, sweet Harrison inadvertently shoplifted it or if he threw it into our purchases without us noticing, but we suddenly owned a treasured Hanukkah Moose. Walter adored his new toy, leading us to humorously embrace his newfound “Jewish identity” as a family.
Last week, Clara returned home bursting with stories from her day at school. During the morning meeting, her teacher encouraged the class to discuss the holidays and traditions they anticipate celebrating this month. With enthusiasm, Clara shared that while our family traditionally celebrates Christmas, we would also embrace Hanukkah this year because “her dog is Jewish.” Her teacher, trying to suppress laughter, gently asked how we knew Walter was Jewish. Clara’s innocent, matter-of-fact reply came swiftly: “Because he’s from another state.”
And so, with the help of our inclusive Elf on the Shelf Holly, we have now celebrated our first night of Hanukkah, which also happened to be Harrison’s second birthday. Holly painted Walter his very own wooden menorah and brought him eight nights of Hanukkah dog toys, including but not limited to doggy latkes and a stuffed dreidel. (She of course also hung a Happy Birthday Banner so our sweet boy’s milestone wouldn’t be steamrolled.) If the next week teaches my kids about a new tradition, and they understand a little more about another culture’s beliefs, then I would say the Surprise Hanukkah Moose has done its job.
