Hannukah – between Thanksgiving and Christmas

So, we’ve all got through Thanksgiving, and now we’re veering towards the next celebration in the American calendar. No, it’s not Christmas – it’s Hanukkah which this year begins at sundown on December 4th and ends at sunset December 12th.

Actually, I was reminded of this fact when I read a Silicon Valley Mom’s blog on the hardship she faced hunting for presents and wrapping for this Festival of Lights celebration. I say, reminded, because, if like me, you were not born here, you may easily jump to the conclusion, that after the madness and turkey stuffing that Thanksgiving is made of, our next uphill battle is shopping for Christmas. And if you’re reading this and about to relocate to the States, or indeed Silicon Valley, where I reside, you would be wise to read up on Hannukah. Everything I know about this celebration, I have learnt in the 12 years since I moved here from the UK and you will hear about it from the friends you make here and your kids’ friends. Best to know what they’re talking about.

Not sure if I just didn’t have many Jewish friends in England, or those that I did have, didn’t celebrate that much, but for sure it’s here and depending on where you live, there may be just a few or loads of blue and white twinkling lights on the houses next door to the Christmas icicle lights. According to Leslie in her sympathetic comment to the Silicon Valley Mom’s blog :

“Unfortunately for you retailers are doing their holiday buying based on demographics. Christians make up over 75% of the US population; Jews about 2%. In California it’s not much higher — a little over 3%”

explaining why it’s hard to find that Hannukah gift wrap in Target.

I would like to add that when I was in my Lucky’s yesterday (formerly Albertson’s) there were at least three aisles totally devoted to Kosher food, so maybe the Jewish celebration focuses more on eating than opening presents.

I’m all for that!

US vs Britain on celebrations? No contest…

I read another blog on Silicon Valley Moms this morning about the stark contrast between the Brits and the Americans with regards to Halloween celebrations. I’d already mentioned that in my previous blog from yesterday, but it got me thinking about US celebrations vs. UK celebrations.

Question for you Americans – is it just in California where we go over the top with these things (thinking of St Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving, Valentines, Easter, and let’s not even go there with Christmas…) or is it just in Silicon Valley? Being a native Brit too, I haven’t had the pleasure of living anywhere else, guess I could ask some friends but it’s much easier to ask you bloggers out there! We in Britain are very low-key on all of these festivities. Is this a reflection of our demure personalities vs the American “out-there” style, or hasn’t Hallmark got its act together over there yet?

Where does this need come from? I also just read about the guy in Mountain View (I’ve been busy!) who won $50,000 for his horrific house (yes, I’m sure we’ll take a trip there this evening), spending thousands of dollars every year on this, and they can’t afford to buy a place (so that prize money will come in very handy). Go figure!

We Brits can’t touch him on that one!

Halloween or Thanksgiving or Christmas?

Forgive me if I’m stunned, but as an English person who’s moved to Silicon Valley, I am constantly amazed by the obnoxious commercialism surrounding these events.  No sooner is summer showing just small signs of coming to an end, ie the temperatures are now in the 80’s, not 90’s, then Halloween is ushered into the supermarkets in glorious technicolor displays and I have to stop myself and ask “What month are we in?”

Almost hypnotised into thinking we have to buy more orange and black decorations, and even more massive bags of not-nutritious candy, we are coerced into adding goodies to our cart that we never really need.   And for the first time, I think, I saw massive storage boxes in Target, ORANGE ones, so that you don’t confuse your boxes of Halloween decorations with your huge green and red storage boxes for Christmas decorations.   What color are the Thanksgiving ones?

Putting all those spooky spiders and manic monsters and whispy webs and orange and infra-red lights outside – is this necessary? Though I have to say our house is the best decorated on the street – amazing how my husband finds the time to do it all – he doesn’t read my blog anyway.  Just sad it all has to come down the next day.

And I know Macy’s has their Christmas tree and decorations all set up – not sure when that happened but who wants to think about Christmas in September?

We are in such a frenzy of buying, do we really ever have time to enjoy (or even think about why we’re doing this?

American graduation

My earlier post on high school graduation got me thinking about one of my pet peeves : graduation in America!   It literally starts at pre-school, then Kindergarden, then5th grade, then Middle School, High School and finally college!  Is it just me or is this whole thing just a little over the top?

They were so adorable in pre-school when they went up to get their piece of paper to say they were going on to BIG school, but after several more of these ceremonies,  I’m balking at  the cost of buying a gown, taking everyone to lunch, buying a gift, not to mention the dress for the graduation party – and this is just 8th grade!

What is this Middle School one for – just because there are no buildings big enough to house 6th grade through 12th in Silicon Valley, they have to have a huge ceremony to let you know that these kids are moving down the road into another school called High School. Don’t tell me that it’s a huge achievement to go from 8th grade to 9th grade – I still don’t know of anyone who didn’t make it, it’s not really that big a deal.  And exactly the same could be said of 5th grade to Middle School.

Every year this seems to get more elaborate and more preposterous to me.  Yes, I’m English and the only graduation I went through was from college, where that really did feel like a well-deserved accolade after 5 years of studying, living on a dime, and being among the few x percent of kids who made it that far?

These Americans just love their ceremonies and the retailers just love their willing consumers.  Long may they live in harmony together!