Happy Hanukkah?

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."

Oliver Wendell Holmes

Yes,it's that time of year again.

Hanukkah!

A festive, joyous time of year.

At least that what it's supposed to be.

For me, not so much.

Now before you go accusing me of being a Sgroogeberg,I want to say that I don't know why it is that I don't get all pumped up for this holiday.

I just don't.

Maybe there are some deep rooted issues from my childhood.

Remember I grew up during the time when Kenner, Hasbro, Mattel and other toy companies would bombard the airwaves with the newest,neatest,coolest must have stuff imaginable and trust me,we could never afford any of them.

Maybe it's tied to not being able to afford to lavish my own children with gifts when they were young.

Maybe it's memories of being the only person I knew on campus who lit candles?

All I know is I don't have a whole lot of warm fuzzy feelings associated with Hanukkah.

On the contrary, the more I dwell on it, the more painful and depressing memories pop up for me.

So happy is not what I experience during these 8 days.

The best part of this holiday for me is that for 8 nights in a row, I get to spend some time, no matter how brief that is, with my family.

Wrap that up and put a bow on it and it's the best gift I can ever receive!