Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel! Just what a cat loves for Hanukkah. I think he needs to work on his skills a little, though.

If you’re getting sick of all the Christmas posts today, perhaps this will be a refreshing change of pace. Here is a great collection of adorable critters wearing yarmulkes. Of course, if you’re tired of holiday posts in general, well, this won’t help you much.

Link

Glowing Menorah – $31.95

I spell it Hanukkah. You spell it Chanukah. However you spell it the festival of lights is almost here. Do you have your fabulous Glowing Menorah from the NeatoShop? This fantastic menorah includes 46 glow sticks for all 8 days of Hanukkah.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Menorah fun.

Link

From the remark about the hostages in Iran, I suspect this is from 1979 or 1980. The younger son grew up to host a website dedicated to photobombs. -Thanks, Comedy Wizard!

The miracle of Hanukkah, according to Jewish tradition, is that there was only enough holy oil in the Temple in Jerusalem to burn for one day, but it lasted for eight. The above chart by Towson University professor Seth Gitter explains the event from an economics perspective.

Link via Marginal Revolution

A Hello Kitty menorah? Yes, it’s just one of a collection of off-the-walll menorahs at Urlesque. The Star Trek menorah we featured recently is in there, as well as a menorahs shaped like a moose, a cat, a Jeep, and some that are hard to describe. I wonder how many of these are actually used to celebrate Hanukkah. Link

Joyce and Kaufman made this awesome Star Trek menorah, complete with LED lights! Link

In Tablet, a magazine on Jewish life, Jeffrey Goldberg wrote that he met with Hatch 10 years ago when he worked for the New York Times Magazine. The two were listening to some of Hatch’s Christmas music, when Goldberg asked about a Hanukkah song.

Goldberg says Hatch got back in touch with him nine years later and a new Hanukkah song was born.

“I have always felt that the song canon for Hanukkah, a particularly interesting historical holiday, is sparse and uninspiring, in part because Jewish songwriters spend so much time writing Christmas music,” writes Goldberg.

USA Today’s On Politics blog has the story and video clip: Link

Link

More wonderful menorahs at The Jewish Museum Shops

Previously on Neatorama: Hanukit, the Minimalist Menorah, Galvanized Steel Pipe Menorah

Back on December 24, 1968 the crew of the Apollo 8 space mission were to make history for two things. They were the first human beings to circle another celestial body in space and they were also to take one of the most iconic pictures of the Earth rising behind the Moon on Christmas Eve which can be seen here on the post Alex had put up: The First Earthrise. Here you’ll hear them wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Peace to everyone.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and any other holidays out there! Have a Happy New Year!

via – Wired