Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah got off to a great start tonight when Rachel, arriving home after a playdate, walked in the door and the first -- the very first -- thing she said was, "How can I help?" We agreed to let her put the cut-up potatoes in the blender. By some miracle (a Hanukkah miracle?) dinner was ready -- chicken, salad and latkes, all still warm -- by 8:15. We had a fine time eating and talking about our days (I had the day off and spent most of it working on a magazine story and baking an enormous batch of holiday cookies for our holiday dinner for friends this weekend and for all our neighbors, who have started dropping off cookies that THEY'VE baked).

Then, before presents, we opened the tzedakah box that we've periodically put money into to see how much we had to donate to a worthy cause (we let Rachel choose -- she loves animals so much that she wanted to give money to the Arlington Animal Shelter). There was $9 or so in it. Rachel insisted on getting her piggy bank and giving most of her money to the shelter ("you know how I love animals," she said), and Drew and I each gave $10. Rachel made up an envelope with the words "To Arlington Animal Shelter" and From: "The DeSilver Family." She and Drew are going to take it, in person, to the shelter sometime later this week or early next and explain where the money came from and why we're giving it. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time -- save money during the year and give it to a worthy cause, and so I'm glad we're incorporating charity into our lives (although next year we will more consciously save more money).

THEN it was time for presents, and again Rachel insisted that Drew open his first, then Mommy, then herself. Dad got new hiking boots, Mom got a sweater that Rachel and Daddy picked out, and Rachel got a FABULOUS art kit from Anne and David (thanks, Uncle David and Auntie Anne!) and some American Girl doll stuff from Mommy and Daddy.

Altogether, a great evening. Rachel sang an almost-perfect rendition of "Oh, Chaukah" in Yiddish. Chag Semeach, everyone!