I just noticed a new thing: both Christmas and Hanukah families are wearing matching PJs when they take and post the holiday pics.
Where was this law inscribed? In stone somewhere? I’m fairly sure it’s not in the bible. To be thorough and accurate in my research I’ll go back to the Hanukah story but, really folks, I can’t imagine where matching PJs came into the pork-besmirched Second Temple. Could it be that the Temple cleaners wore matching outfits, i.e., garments made for heavy cleansing, you know, like BCE denim overalls? I’ll go with this because I like the logic. The same logic must apply to whatever the Magi were wearing, probably camel-riding outfits. With hoods.
Still, although I’ve noticed this matching PJ ritual, I am out of the loop. Aside from my ad hoc sleep garments (mix n’ match t-shirts and bottoms), I have two pairs of very nice PJs but as far as I know they don’t match anybody in my family.
Poor lone me.
However, one Christmas-Hanukah ritual I do participate in has to do with food. Our dedicated hearty meal for around twenty family members consists of multitudinous nibbles, including fresh shrimp with salsa, followed by a salad, warm garlic bread and three lasagnas, one of them Mexican and another made from sweet potatoes but that one goes so fast I never get any. (I never jump lines.)
Then nine pies and cakes.
The number 9 must have some religious significance. At least seven of them were brought by my bro-in-law, a retired MD, who is a vegetarian and Tibetan Buddhist. Remind me to ask him what meaning the number 9 has when it comes to pies in the Himalayas.
It has definitely been the duty of each of us, a blend of Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, atheist, Muslim and three dogs, to have at least one piece of every pie and cake. Except for the dogs because sweets are not good for them.
Today may be Boxing Day in Britain but in America it is Not-Eating-For-The-Foreseeable-Future Day.