Fat Noodle: Eight Crazy Nights

Later, tater.

I am as much a ritualistic person as a religious person. Routines on the day-to-day, and traditions on the special days, satisfy and fulfill me. December is filled with special days, often starting, for my people, with Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights.

Now, I can’t lie. As an only child and grandchild, I got hooked up as a kid on Hanukkah, with eight nights of splendid presents resting by the blazing menorah, dreidels spinning, potato latkes frying. But I, along with other children of the eighties, got older, and eight nights of presents morphed into eight nights of socks, then three nights of bath towels, then finally the illustrious “my presence is a present.” Any family heirloom menorahs live at my mom’s house, so I bought an electric menorah that sat at the window, and then, a plastic hazard-inducing contraption from Bed Bath & Beyond. The beautiful menorah given to us as a wedding gift by my best friend also, ironically, lives in storage at my mom’s house. Potato “pancakes” came in a twelve-pack from the freezer aisle. At that weird time between being a child and having children, it’s amazing how easy it is to allow traditions to fade, rather than make the effort to uphold them. Daily rituals can obscure special traditions, because those are just easier to conquer. But this amazing year, my first full year in recent memory without studying for exams, slaving at a law firm, or planning a wedding, needed to be different. 

First, and most importantly, the latkes, grated potatoes fried to a brown crisp and served traditionally with applesauce or sour cream. You can cheat and buy the box of potato pancake mix, but you’ll end up with a fried composite of potato flakes that’s just, well, sad. I grated and drained four Idaho potatoes, but tossed in one packet of the boxed stuff for some added thickness when the store ran out of matzo meal. I combined the mixture with three eggs, a food-processed onion, salt, and pepper. Low and behold, latkes, people. Easy peasy.

Sticking with tradition, I offered applesauce for dippage. But I also turned up a notch by whipping up some crème fraiche and purchasing fresh salmon roe to dollop on top. Kutsher’s Tribeca, a downtown spot serving elevated soul food of the Jewish kind, inspired this variation. 

We fancy now.

In addition to the food, I was determined to bring back gifts. Not for a materialistic purpose, really, but so that Doug and I could solidify our own traditions before we grow our family sometime down the road. And to put in some legwork as newlyweds to show each other we care. To make things interesting, we brainstormed and chose eight themes – one for each night – and it’s really worked. To inspire your own themed giving in the future, here were ours:

1. New York City – we live here.
   
2. Florida Gators – because, obviously.
3. Food – because, obviously. I made it easy by writing this for Brit + Co!
4. Heritage – something pertaining to our Jewish heritage (which, I must note, Doug interpreted as appropriate to purchase me these cat socks. We still have some kinks to work out with the whole theme thing).
5. Color – this year, we went with green.
6. Life Hack – gifts that will make our lives easier in some way.
7. Splurge – the wildcard.
8. Five Bucks and Under – unless you cop out and buy a pack of gum, this is actually the hardest gift to find.

Are you ready to bring back the holiday traditions in your family? Even with one night left on the Hanukkah side of things, it’s never too late. Share yours in the comments!