Chanukah, Oy Chanukah!

Ask The Organizer...

by Devora Farrell of ThisOrganized, LLC

Yes, you read the title correctly. No, this article did not miss the submission deadline before the Chanukah issue. As my new Sabra-grandson says (or would say – seeing how he’s about six months old and not quite that precocious), “Mah hakesher?” Or, in English, “What’s the connection?”

Right now is the best time to plan for next Chanukah (if Mashiach doesn’t come meanwhile). Sit down, arm yourself with your recording-implement of choice (pen/pencil/phone/keyboard/lipstick), and think carefully about the holiday that just passed:

·       What worked well that you’d like to remember to repeat next year? 

·       What did not – and how would you like to change it? 

·       What’s missing/broken and fixable/in need of replacement/overstocked? 

·       Who else would you like to invite? 

·       How was the menu?

·       Were there enough dreidels for all the wanna-players?

·       Were potential fire safety issues adequately addressed?

·       What should be purchased/homemade (taking anticipatory schedule into account)?

·       If gift-giving is your tradition (this suggestion is applicable to any similar occasion), were the choices well-considered? 

·       Was every recipient accounted for? 

·       Anyone overlooked or redundant?

·       If expenses seemed excessive, would a heartfelt, individualized “thank you for being you” card be appreciated instead of a present?

·       Amount of paper goods needed?

Attach a copy of these questions and your answers to the outside of a labelled Chanukah bin (*implied action here) so that when the bin is retrieved from storage, the inventory will already have been done, the suggestions heeded, and last-minute-stress minimized.

When should most of the listed response/needs be reviewed/fulfilled? Now, as soon as possible, while sales are taking place and the debrief is fresh in your mind. If anything is dropped off for repair, note the location, anticipated pickup date, and brief description of the item. Avoid that “Now where did I take Shmuely’s menorah?” angst.

Want to try new latke recipes next year? Ask around, look through cookbooks, peruse www.allrecipes.com, or www.kosher.com (a recent search under “latke” brought up forty possibilities). Find out how to keep the burned bits from adhering to the frying latkes (Put a raw carrot in the frying pan – it’ll attract the charred vegetable pieces. Don’t know why.) Donuts flopped? Now’s the time to try again.   Do a test-run or two or five. Decide instead to purchase all comestibles rather than stressing over the cooking. Whatever works best for you and your situation.

Did you feel inadequately prepared spiritually? What aspects of the holiday or its observances intrigue you the most? Are you particularly curious about Chanukah’s historical context? The nature of the miracles? The text of the blessings? Archaeological findings? Geographic locations of events? Thoughts to focus on while watching the flames? Country- and era-specific customs? Overlapping themes with other times of the year? Symbolic references? What happened before or after the specific events of the time as well as on other Chanukahs over the years? Maybe you’d like to research the origins of an accompanying song or two? Or the poetic nuances? Have I asked enough questions yet? Have I confused Chanukah with Pesach?

So, why else should we address next year’s Chanukah celebration now? Perhaps to keep us gainfully distracted from realizing that there are now only about ten or eleven weeks until Pesach…?

Mrs. Devora Farrell, Organizer-Coach Extraordinaire of ThisOrganized, LLC, can be reached by [email protected] or at (973)919-7761 for a private schmooze.