• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Baby Gear
  • Pregnancy
    • Prenatal
    • Breastfeeding
  • Ultimate Baby Registry Guide
  • Baby
    • Month 1-3
    • Month 4-6
    • Month 7-9
    • Month 10-12
    • Second Year
  • Toddler
  • #MomLife
  • Nav Widget Area

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Rookie Moms

Pregnancy > Parenthood

Subscribe

On the fifth night of Hanukkah, my grandma gave to me

Tweet
Share36
Pin18
Share
Email
54 Shares

Thanks to Heifer International for sponsoring this post.

The way my stepmom presents Hannukah, long distance, to my kids is definitely worth sharing — and requires some visuals.

A few years ago, she gave us this Hanukkah tapestry. Each pocket is intended to hold a small treat. There is a little candle to dangle outside of the pocket as the days pass.

When Hanukkah approaches each year, a box arrives from my dad and stepmom with eight gifts inside, along with a set of index cards, numbered 1 to 8. The index cards have a sticker on them and I place the cards in the numerically matching pockets of the tapestry.

Each gift in the box they’ve sent has a corresponding sticker on its tag. So, each night of Hanukkah, after lighting the candles, the children take the correct card out of the pocket and look at the sticker. (Night #5 shows two small dreidels this year.)

And then they look in the pile of wrapped gifts for the one that has the matching sticker. If the sticker matches, that is the gift they are supposed to open tonight.

Did you find the match?

The hint in the card above says “Julian – connect the dots to see what we donated to a boy your age.” You see, my parents dedicate one night of Hanukkah to a charitable donation on behalf of our family.

They try to pick something to which the kids can relate, for example, a jacket for a little boy who needs one, or, a gift from Heifer International, such as a Trio of Rabbits or a Flock of Chicks.

Do I let my kids keep a trio of rabbits?

No, silly. When you order a gift from Heifer International, the livestock does not get delivered to your door. Instead, it goes to a household in a developing country that will be able to grow their family income by raising the animals.

For example, a dairy cow provided to a family delivers enough milk daily to sustain them (and their neighbors!) plus the cow can produce a calf every year, so the family begins to have assets they can share or sell in their communities.

Visit Heifer.org to see the gift catalog (and send your sister “A Goat” for the holidays!)

The Fifth Night Project — a movement to encourage a gift to a child in need on the fifth night of Hanukkah — is not an age-old tradition, but was started in the Bay Area a few years ago. It speaks to me this year more than ever as we need to promote kindness and understanding from our households to others who are living in different circumstances.

Do you have a tradition of charity in your family holiday celebrations? 

Thanks to Heifer for sponsoring this post. Follow along on Instagram as moms around the country post #GoatSquadGoals selfies and talk about how Heifer International has inspired them.

Related

November 28, 2016 11:21 am Whitney 3 Comments Filed Under: Crafty, Momoirs of a Rookie Mom

Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Heather Flett says

    November 28, 2016 at 8:40 pm

    I love it. I think my kids are going to open a trio of rabbits or flock of chickens this year for Christmas. Those helpful animals will go so nicely with the LEGO and other self-indulgent treats. xo

    Reply
  2. Samantha Berman says

    November 29, 2016 at 9:07 am

    Can you tell me where you got this Hanukkah calendar?

    Reply
    • Whitney Moss says

      November 29, 2016 at 12:48 pm

      Hi Sam, I searched high and low, but it’s no longer available, nor is anything like it! Some ETSY seller should create one. It was from Land of Nod. Disappointed they no longer sell it.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search our site

Rookie Moms

Disclosure

Review Policy
Privacy Policy

This site is an Amazon affiliate.

Footer

Browse By Age

  • Month 1-3
  • Month 4-6
  • Month 7-9
  • Month 10-12
  • Toddler
  • Preschooler

Problem Solving

  • Sleepy
  • Eating
  • Breastfeeding

Top Posts & Pages

  • Free Baby Stuff - 50+ Freebies for New Moms
  • 52 Super Fun Things to do with Toddlers [Easy & Fun Activities]
  • Best Toys for 2 Year Old Boys - [20 Great toys your toddler boy will love]
  • Best Nursery Glider for 2019 - A Look at the Best of the Best
  • 10 Awesome Gender Reveal Party Games
  • 11 Super Flexible Stay at Home Mom Jobs for 2019!
  • Home
  • Baby Registry
  • Pregnancy
  • Baby
  • Toddler
  • Preschooler
  • Baby Gear
  • #MomLife
  • Holidays
    • Holiday Gift Guide
    • Holiday Entertaining

© Copyright 2016 · Pretty Lifestyle WordPress Theme by: PDCD