#sixth night of Hannukah

[makowashimai]

Happy sixth night! Though I am mainly celebrating alone this year, I am still able to stay in touch and do Hannukah over the phone with my folks. Only two more nights to go. Chag Channukah Sameach!

[averagepsychouser]

On the sixth night of hannukah I get Veronica a dress :)

[demonsgold]

Powdered Snow & Powdered Sugar: Winter and Hannukah Time

ft. Natt and @spectralnxght

Sixth Night

[sapphic-luthor]

eliza is apparently coming back for s6 and i was excited after i heard about that, but then someone on twitter ruined it for me by joking that she's coming back for will/kara. 🤣 i really hope she's coming back for dansen or something else and not for you-know-who. i know everybody is kinda overthinking about this, but some theories i see are just hilarious 🤣🤣

if/when eliza danvers comes back i demand compensation for the emotional distress of s5 in one of the following ways:

eliza stopping in to say hello to kara and seeing lena standing awkwardly in the background, waiting for a moment when kara’s distracted and walking up to lena to gently touch her on the arm and tell her softly “we’re all really glad to have you back sweetheart” and then pretending not to notice when lena’s eyes instantly well up with tears

various holiday episodes where eliza can be a casual and like-it’s-the-most-normal-thing-in-the-world mother to lena.

lena stops by alex’s place on the sixth night of hannukah just to say hello and happy holidays and she’s all apologies for the interruption i’ll let you get back to your family and trying to slip out because they’re about to light the menorah, but eliza smiles softly and pulls her back in by the hand and tells her to stay because you’re family too, lena and kara just beams and beams and beams

thanksgiving is in lena’s apartment this year, because it’s bigger and swankier (and alex is tired of hearing the upstairs neighbors when she’s trying to enjoy her holiday so can we please change the host this year kara). eliza shows up with food and love in her arms and is appropriately impressed, and after dinner she sidles up next to lena in the kitchen when they’re both holding wine glasses and watching kara and alex play a violent game of uno attack, and she says you have a beautiful home and lena smiles jokingly and says yes, the modern page of the ikea catalogue is truly gorgeous. eliza laughs with her and doesn’t say anything else, but a month later lena receives a huge package in the mail, and she opens it to find that eliza’s sent her a painting with a note that reads “to hell with the ikea theme” with a little heart. lena googles the artist’s name and sees that she’s from the same county in ireland that her mother grew up in, and she only cries for a little while before texting eliza thank you.

BONUS: lena gets to be a part of kara’s holiday traditions as well, now. when alex texts her to say ‘nova cycle party next week’ with no other explanation, lena just assumes there’s a theme she’s unfamiliar with to their game night. she shows up with both wine and whiskey to find that kara’s in traditional kryptonian robe-- or her best approximation of, given her resources-- and surrounded by family. it’s a casual celebration in kara’s apartment, a watered-down version of what was once a day steeped in tradition and ceremony as experienced by kara when she was last on krypton, but it’s incredibly nice. clark looks extremely surprised to see her there, but it doesn’t click until eliza smiles at her from across kara’s counter and tells her it’s a day kara surrounds herself with people she truly loves and it’s always felt a little wrong not to have you here, if you ask me with a wink.

MIDVALE I WANT TO GO BACK TO MIDVALE

I WANT LENA TO GO TO MIDVALE

I WANT KARA AND ALEX AND KELLY AND LENA TO FUCKING ROADTRIP TO MIDVALE AND I WANT KELLY AND LENA TO SIT IN THE BACK AND STARE LOVINGLY AT THEIR INCREDIBLY STUPID  GIRLFRIENDS WHILE THE DANVERS SISTERS SING TO TERRIBLE POP MUSIC I DEMAND ITTTTTTT

[ruthfeiertag]

Sixth Night of Hannukah

[johnthestitcher]

Temarukiyah - The Sixth Night of Hannukah - Celebrate the Festival of Lights!

[bornofanatombomb]

‪On the sixth night, we were discomforted, for hope had been absent in our hearts for so long. #Hannukah ‬ https://www.instagram.com/p/B6mEs2Un2iJ/?igshid=zcx7oem3bryo

[cianmars]

My bad. 

A Lifetimes’s worth of Seconds (AO3).

1x01 AU. David is stabbed in the nursery after putting Emma into the wardrobe unsure whether or not the wardrobe will even work.

~

“It’s too late. We can’t move her.”

David watched as his baby girl was born, early and tiny, but otherwise perfect. The curse was far from his eyes and he looked down at her as she was held by Snow.

“The wardrobe…. It only takes one.”

David’s blood ran cold. “Then our plan has failed. At least we’re together.”

“No. You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe.”

He shook his head trying to catch his breath. “Are you out of your mind?”

“No, it’s the only way. You have to save her.”

“No, no, no. You don’t know what you’re saying.“ There had to be another way. Any other way. He couldn’t lose his baby. His daughter. He couldn’t…

“No, I do. We have to believe that she’ll come back for us. We have to give her her best chance.”

David was torn. Ultimately he knew his wife was right. He kissed her forehead, her little nose crinkled up oblivious to what was going on, then his wife kissed her. He took her from Snow’s hands but knew that Snow could barely force herself to let go.

“Goodbye, Emma…”

David raced out of the room, stopping only to grab his sword, careful not to jostle the baby who was silent in his arms. Snow’s gut wrenching sobs filled the castle but he could not turn back.

He fended off two of the Evil Queen’s knights, one was easy to disperse, the other managed to cut him as he fell.

David’s shoulder and chest was hit by what felt like a massive electric shock, then suddenly heat, as though he had been set on fire, then nothing.

He carried on running down the hallway to Emma’s nursery.

She didn’t cry as he burst through the doors and ran towards the wardrobe, its doors were already open, he was hit by fear that someone else had decided to steal Emma’s chance at salvation, but he had to have faith, his wife would have.

He placed the baby inside of the wardrobe. He quickly adjusted the blanket around her. He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Find us.” He shut the wardrobe doors hoping, praying, begging it to work.

Pain was starting to fill his chest, more pain than he had ever imagined, he realised he was bleeding pretty bad. But he had to stand guard, he had to protect Emma as best he could, two more knights entered the room.

He raised his sword.

The already injured Prince was stabbed again, this time he fell down, his eyes flickered to the wardrobe before they slipped shut.

There was beeping. His hand itched and before he could use his other hand to scratch it his hand was held by someone.

There was a baby’s cry.

He opened his eyes.

“Snow.” His Snow was smiling down at him. Her green eyes sparkling with life as she looked down at him. In her hands was a tiny baby swaddled in a knitted white blanket with purple ribbons. “Emma.” He breathed out. Snow lowered her to show David. She was small but perfect. She was there. She was okay. They all were.

“She’s okay.” Snow swore, her head lowered to kiss him, again and again and again. “The curse is broken, we can be a family now.”

The curse had taken them to a strange world which was loaded with magic. Snow showed him to a house which was both of theirs.

It would have been completely alien to him if the curse hadn’t of loaded his mind with all of this information, it had given them the house, a wardrobe of clothes, even jobs. Snow had been a teacher, teaching school age children, but she would be taking time off with the curse breaking and having Emma. He was a cop, kind of like this realms versions of knights.

The got home from the hospital and David held Emma as Snow fussed around the pair of them.

“Your shoulder-”

“It’s fine,” David told her honestly, he stared down at his green eyed princess in awe, “I don’t feel a thing.”

He and Snow both dressed Emma in a little pink onesie, after falling about giggling as they struggled with putting a diaper on their baby, she was wiggling as much as she had when she was first born.

“You want to go on adventures, don’t you, my little princess? Just like Mama and Dada.” He brought her closer to kiss his face and kissed her forehead, she scrunched up her little nose as she did so, he held her so carefully, he would never let her get hurt, not while he was alive and breathing. “But no adventures just yet, my baby, you just stay with Mama and Dada, we’ll look after you and protect you, and we’ll tell you stories of our home, maybe one day we will take you there. And nothing will ever hurt you. Daddy promises.” He swore.

He held her close to him and slowly and carefully walked over to Snow, he placed the baby into her arms before sitting on the couch himself, his wife leant back against him and he watched as she fed their baby.

David was up every time Snow was awoken to feed their baby, she told him he needed to rest, but he didn’t care, he was happy to wake up and spend any precious seconds with his girls.

He changed diapers, getting the hang of it, and fed her bottles.

They met up with friends in their town, proudly showing off their baby, the family dressed up together for halloween. Their baby grew more with each passing day, she was so curious and took in every word David said to her, and they celebrated Hannukah, and Christmas, as a small family and with their friends.

He spent an awful lot of time kissing Snow, and more than that, they had almost lost each other more than once, they knew the value of their love.

There was a baby’s cry.

David laughed, he was sure Emma had a sixth sense for when he and Snow were about to… anyway, he reluctantly stopped kissing his wife. “I love you.” He reminded her, it was important she knew that, he wasn’t sure why it was so important for him to tell her that right that second.

Unsurprisingly Snow fell pregnant again when Emma was just four months old.

Their life went on, David fixed up another nursery, painting murals for his two babies on their walls, conveying the wonders of the world.

Emma started to eat mashed down food, and roll, and crawl, she was soon toddling around, and when she spoke she said “mama” first, despite David pretending to be a sore loser he was beyond proud, and he thought that there was no better first word than his wife’s name.

Emma was a daddy’s girl, she hung on his every word, and followed him around, when he got back home from work she would run up to him as fast as her little legs would take her and wrap him in a hug. She would just cling onto him all of the time, he came to nickname her koala, as she resembled one of the bears.

There was a baby's cries.

When the new baby, his son Neal, was nearly a year old he quit his job to become a stay at home dad, they didn’t have to worry about money anyway, and he didn’t want to miss this.

Regardless the kids grew quickly. David taught him as much as he could, and in return they caused adorable mischief together, more often than not his and Snow’s bed was full with two little visitors.

Soon Emma started preschool, then school, as did Neal, and David opened a stables and horse riding school, teaching his children to ride horses as his mother had taught him.

There were vacations, and picnics, and trips to the beach, holidays, fireworks, movie nights, new pets, baking, birthdays, school field trips, sex, lots and lots of sex, and sicknesses, nightmares, fights, report cards, groundings, time outs, worry, and every so often his shoulder would hurt. But the good outweighed the bad.

Emma began dating as a teen, and his suddenly polished his sword a lot, especially when his daughter would bring home whomever she was dating, and whenever she broke up with her boyfriend or girlfriend he and Snow were there for her. They would cuddle up and tell her and Neal stories of their lives in the Enchanted Forest and assure them that they wouldn’t change their lives one bit, they were happily and safe, and they had the two most precious blessings in the universe right next to them.

When Emma told them she was pregnant, as a teenager, there was no question that they would support her. David fixed up a nursery for his grandson with a mural like he had his son and daughter, he made it fit for a prince, and he and Snow spoilt their daughter with everything she could possibly need.

There was a baby’s cry.

His grandson, Henry, he was absolutely perfect.

Soon the house was full of a child’s laughter once again as Henry grew. Emma travelled to college every day, to make a better life for her son, and David fulfilled his grandpa role of spoiling Henry as he looked after him.

Emma graduated the same year as Neal did, Snow and David couldn’t be prouder, their life in the Enchanted Forest could not match up to this perfect one.

Neal moved out first, it was bittersweet but he was nearby, visiting often with his boyfriend, often for the baked goods his mother and father both made. Neal’s boyfriend proposed and David cried at his son’s wedding.

David watched all of Henry’s firsts, and watched as Emma went on dates, he and Snow quickly realised that these were different than the previous dates she had been on.

David walked his daughter down the aisle at her wedding to Elsa, Henry served as Emma’s best man, and he cried again.

Snow and David grew older, still just as in love with each other as they had been when they had married decades ago, David still could not believe that this was his life.

There was a baby’s cry.

This was becoming a only too common sound, with their family around for Friday night dinner, Neal and Philip with their newborn twins, and Emma and Elsa had welcomed a new baby to join Henry. David would play with all of his kids, his age showing as his shoulder twinged when he would throw them into the air, but that was not important right now.

There was a baby’s cry.

Soon his grandkids were grown and started to have babies of their own. He and Snow were slower now, more wrinkled, but their love did not slow down.

“I love you.” David whispered to his wife one night, the two of them cuddled together, he did not have to tell her that, he had shown her it over the past lifetime, but it was essential, she needed to be told right that second.

He drifted off, joining his wife in a long, peaceful, sleep.

There was a baby’s cries.

Then a sharp laugh.

It was such an effort but he managed to drag his eyes open.

Snow was looking down at him. Knelt clutching at him with one hand. But she wasn’t looking at him her hand was reaching for something else. Someone else. The wardrobe. A black knight reached in and pulled out Emma, still wrapped in her blanket, crying out for her parents.

“You failed.” The Evil Queen sneered.

He heard his baby’s cries for the final time.

Then Prince Charming breathed his last breath.

[weknowgirl]

Sobbing at aquaria getting a pixie cut for remy 😭 great question anon. Here’s mine; what happens if the girls dad shows up to find bri and aquaria and the kids at the house together and starts acting all agro to them?

okay so!! my concept of maya and remy’s dad is sorta fuzzy, but i ended up really solidifying his character through this ask. i wanna clear up that he’s not an abuser or a huge dick or anything, just kind of an idiot straight man. without further ado, here’s a lot of stuff about the girls’ dad:

What had attracted Brianna to Jacob was that he was just like any other guy. Meaning, he was exactly the kind of man her mom had always wanted her to end up with: a nice Jewish boy, a doctor with a steady income, and with no family history of mental health issues. He checked all the boxes! Score! So, she let him take her on a few dates, and a few turned into many, and by the end of it all, they were great friends. The kind of friends who kissed each other and maybe a little more and eventually got married. The ceremony was very beautiful and very normal and as fate would have it, her wedding night was the night she got pregnant with Remy.

Their home life was pretty regular, too. All in all, Jacob enjoyed being a father and Brianna loved being a mother and she thought that was all it would take to hold their little family together. She loved putting Remy in little dresses (which, by the time she was able to speak, turned into little overalls instead) and hoisting her up on her lap during children’s services on Shabbos. She loved watching her kick off her little sneakers to go roughhouse with the boys in the sandbox, gracefully ignoring Jacob’s proud comments about how much their little girl already loved boys.

Maya was a surprise, but a happy one. She instantly got all the dresses and princess books and little tutus that Remy had discarded over the years, and she loved them. By the time Maya could be trusted to play with toys without sticking them in her mouth, Remy was heavily into her LEGO phase. Soon, the living room was full of baby pink sets of blocks built high up as far as Maya could reach, and Remy’s true-to-life red and brown block walls protected her sister’s pretty castles.

After Maya had consumed every second-hand item in the house, the novelty of being a father of two had worn off for Jacob. It’s not that he wasn’t happy: just that he had been putting off admitting to himself, and to Brianna, that caring for two kids was a lot, even if he was only doing it part-time. So rather than letting anyone know, he threw himself into his work. He stayed late hours at the hospital almost daily and started working weekends. He justified it to himself and to Brianna as him providing for his family, providing for the extra mouth they needed to feed.

Brianna grew very weary very quickly of keeping up a full-time job and taking on nearly all the kids’ responsibilities, so eventually she ended up quitting her job entirely and just being a full-time mom. Turns out, this cheesy kind of family lifestyle was very much for her. She loved getting to spend the extra time with the girls, but she didn’t like not being able to see Jacob as often as she used to. And she didn’t like that he was missing their children growing up.

It was little things that upset her at first. He didn’t take out the dishes because he was fixing someone’s file, or he left his band-aids out where Maya could get into them and Brianna came home to find her covered in princess bandages. But then, it started being big things too. He had to work an emergency shift at the hospital and missed half of Remy’s sixth birthday party. He “forgot” to go to Maya’s first dance recital, but Brianna checked his calendar and it happened to also be the date of an office party.

This went on for a long while before eventually, they sat down together and figured out a deal. They would separate, Brianna would live in an apartment across the city with the kids, Jacob would keep the house, keep working, and pay for both. Brianna would take a part-time job since Maya was entering preschool, and he would could visit her and the kids on weekends and holidays. Soon, they figured, they’d both miss what they once had and get back together. That didn’t happen. After a year, they divorced and Brianna hightailed it out of Seattle.

By then, the girls had been used to not seeing much of their father, so they didn’t really miss him when they moved away. He still flew in and visited on occasion, sometimes for a birthday, sometimes for a holiday, sometimes just because, and always by surprise. Which led to Brianna, walking hand-in-hand with Aquaria, finding Jacob in her front yard, sipping a beer and waiting for her. “So’s this my replacement, or just a friend?”

Brianna felt her face grow hot as she looked at her ex-husband. “A friend,” she stammered, just as Aquaria replied, “Your replacement.” An elbow jabbed lightly into Aquaria’s side and suddenly she was laughing like she’d just told the funniest joke in the world. “Just kidding? I’m a friend,” Aquaria said stiffly. When Jacob went back to his beer, Brianna pulled her aside and explained herself. “That’s my ex-husband. He doesn’t know I’m gay. He can’t know.”

Except of course he‘s going to find out because, surprise! He announces that he’s here for a full week to spend Hannukah as a family. Maya comes into the house, leaps into his arms and laughs as he spins her around and kisses her all over. Remy walks in the door after practice, immediately catches her father’s eye and their jaws drop at the same time. “Dad??” she asks, at the same time as he exclaims, “What did you do with your hair??”

He appears pretty cool with it on the outside but after they all spend dinner as a family, he asks Brianna about it. “So is our kid, like, a lesbian?” Brianna just shrugs. “I haven’t asked her. I figure she’ll let me know when she’s ready to, if she is.” He still looks incredibly confused. For the next five nights, he lets out a few teasing comments about the hair. It’s all good-natured, but Remy still fights back tears every time because all she can think about is those kids at school and Aquaria (who of course is invited to all holiday dinners) squeezes her hand under the table for the whole meal.

And then it’s the last night of Hanukkah. Jacob is all set to leave the next morning, and the girls have gone to bed. Brianna and Aquaria haven’t had time to themselves all week long so they’re dying to be alone. They creep out to the backyard together and step into the pool still completely dressed and just cuddle up close and eventually they’re kissing. They go on for a few minutes until they‘re interrupted by a low voice from the patio. “Just a friend, huh?”

It turns into a huge fight between them. Aquaria goes home to let them talk privately, and they sit out on the patio and have a couple of drinks to ease the tension. Brianna is trying to keep her voice level as she explains that yes, okay, she’s been dating Aquaria for a little while and she didn’t want him to freak out about it when he got here so she lied and said she was just a friend. He asks if he‘s really getting replaced, just like that. Brianna gently reminds him that it’s been almost three years now. She still likes him but she’s moved on from their marriage.

Too many drinks have been had. Too many years have passed between them. Eventually, voices are raised and accusations are thrown. “All I’ve done is try to keep this family together, and all you’ve ever wanted to do was leave it!” And then Brianna is crying which makes Jacob cry as he retorts, “Maybe it’s better that I left! At least I didn’t turn our little girl into a fucking dyke!” and he regrets it as soon as it’s out of his mouth but it’s too late because Brianna slams the door and leaves him on the lawn and stuffs all his things into his duffel and carries it out to him and slams the door again.

As the moon rises above them and she opens the doors to let him through, Brianna watches through blurred vision as Jacob rolls his duffel across the silent house, leaving through the front door this time, loading up his rental car and driving away without another word. She closes and locks the front door after him, curls up into a ball, sobs for a while, and dials Aquaria’s number. Upstairs, a very, very awake Remy cries herself to sleep.

[luckbandit]

The 8 Nights of Hannukah

On the first night of Hannukah, my parents gave to me

A cringey Christmas carol parody

On the second night of Hannukah, my parents gave to me

Two off key blessings

And a cringey Christmas carol parody

On the third night of Hannukah, my parents gave to me

Three stale jelly donuts

Two off key blessings

And a cringey Christmas carol parody

On the fourth night of Hannukah, my parents gave to me

Four broken dreidels

Three stale jelly donuts

Two off key blessings

And a cringey Christmas carol parody

On the fifth night of Hannukah, my parents gave to me

Five. Melted. Gelt.

Four broken dreidels

Three stale jelly donuts

Two off key blessings

And a cringey Christmas carol parody

On the sixth night of Hannukah, my parents gave to me

Six non-kosher menorahs

Five. Melted. Gelt.

Four broken dreidels

Three stale jelly donuts

Two off key blessings

And a cringey Christmas carol parody

On the seventh night of Hannukah, my parents gave to me

Seven melted candles

Six non-kosher menorahs

Five. Melted. Gelt.

Four broken dreidels

Three stale jelly donuts

Two off key blessings

And a cringey Christmas carol parody

On the last night of Hannukah, my parents gave to me

Eight burnt latkes

Seven melted candles

Six non-kosher menorahs

Five. Melted. Gelt.

Four broken dreidels

Three stale jelly donuts

Two off key blessings

And a cringey Christmas carol parody

***

Happy holidays!

[tiredandtiredandredundant]

Happy sixth night of hannukah!

Happy first night of chanukah!

[hquest007]

It’s the #sixth night of #hannukah and we say the #prayers and light the #candles. Always good to #remember the #miracles of the past. . . . . #dadlife #holidays #holy #singledad #dadsguide #guide #igers #dad #father #daddydaughter #daddysgirl #fatherdaughter #daughter #selfie #fire

[demonsgold]

Happy Sixth Night of Hannukah from Natt and @nxghtlight!

[lapsed-bookworm]

(Revision) Ch 19: Gelt & Guilt

Just the snippets relating to the Hanukkah revisions are being shared, and due to the differences in formatting between ao3/tumblr, there will be extra paragraph breaks to make it easier to read. This chapter covers part of the first night of Hanukkah (Harry’s introduction to a dreidel and Wizarding money influenced gelt isn’t included in this excerpt). Under a cut due to length. Tagging @plenskie because I’m pretty sure it’ll notify (like I said here, not the end of the world if you don’t have time to look at this).

<Cut>

Original

[...] A nonchalant glance at a watch with an extra ring around the numbers to show the planets and Earth's moon in some sort of configuration seemed to show the Slytherin a later time than he'd expected to see because he sped up his pace while muttering, "Pansy will kill me if she can't start reciting the first blessing exactly at sundown."

[...] "You know I like to light the menorah on time, dear", a terse statement cut across the common room [..] and he turned without thinking to see Anthony Goldstein, a Ravenclaw from his year, confidently walking into the common room with a younger student in blue and bronze. [...]

[...] A rather small looking bronze menorah was sitting on the far right side [of the mantle] with green and blue swirled candles sitting unlit. Parkinson cleared her throat and glanced at her watch, "Thankfully, we're right on time for the explanation for first years and inter-House guests", she gestured to the mantle, "Slytherin has an unofficial tradition to put out a different menorah for each year, and the menorah for first years always goes above the mantle."

Parkinson took a step to the side of the fireplace and gestured down towards the floor. Harry took a step forward and glanced around the pairing of Brunswick green armchairs that had been blocking his view of the rest of the menorahs lined up near the bottom of the nearly floor to ceiling glass windows that looked out into the lake [...] The majority of the Slytherins in their semi-circle dispersed to kneel in front of their respective menorah on small pine stools about a foot off the floor.

The first one looked to be the same size as the one Harry had seen in his own common room in years past, so he figured it was probably the standard size. The menorah was silver with white candles, and the sandy brown hair couldn't have belonged to someone older than a second year. Now that he was looking at the students and their relative heights, the order looked to be sequential with the farthest menorah on the right belonging to the seventh years.

Parkinson waved her wand to levitate the menorah for first years down onto a nearby side table designated for the purpose by a deep blue cloth that protected the dark walnut from dripping wax. She motioned to the candles for the benefit of the two first years more so than the guests, "These candles will burn for 30 minutes, which is the typical time limit candles are lit on each night of Hanukkah. The prefects are allowed to extinguish any unaccompanied candles after a half hour, even though we have fire-proofing charms."

The bronze hand of the brave first year with dark curls rose into the air, even if her high pitched voice didn't sound quite so brave at questioning a sixth year, "But, Pansy, it's Shabbat."

"Yes", Parkinson nodded sincerely and held her hand out back behind her towards the windows to the lake and the other menorahs, "There are other candles that will last the typical amount for Fridays. It's particularly important we don't all leave them unattended because the prefects can still put out an open flame, even if it's Friday. Okay?"

The young girl nodded and glanced to the witch at her side, olive skin and coppery red hair shone in the firelight of the torches distributed around the common room in serpentine sconces. Harry looked to his peer Anthony who was standing beside the younger Ravenclaw with an encouraging hand draped across his shoulders. From the brief snatches of their whispered conversation, the younger boy was a first year in Ravenclaw and Anthony's cousin.

Despite the House rivalry, Anthony was making a concerted effort to support his fellow Jewish students and had therefore accepted Parkinson's invitation to attend the menorah lighting. Harry wondered if the Schneider or Kleid families that sent their children through Gryffindor like clockwork had received an invitation, but he had to admit he didn't know the families well enough to guess at whether they'd have accepted or not. The closest Schneider to his year was an incredibly tall, intimidating seventh year, and the closest Kleid was a fourth year who preferred to hang out with his gaggle of cousins in his year.

Harry probably could've tried to make an effort to get to know the students in other years in his House better, but he'd barely been able to keep up with his own year and their drama if he was honest. Voldemort certainly didn't make matters easier, but perhaps it would've been less confusing if he'd have asked to attend the lighting of the gold menorah in Gryffindor at some point. Harry had only ever seen the red candles already lit and had zero clue of what was going on.

"Ahem", Parkinson cleared her throat to get the attention of the slightly older students kneeling in front of their years' menorahs who had begun to chit chat among themselves while she explained things to the first years. She motioned to the copper haired girl, who must have been the one selected to do the actions, and settled into a lower, calming tone of voice, "No fancy spells to show off lighting the shamash, everyone. Please use the box of matches at the base of your menorah, so we have the least amount of accidents."

Parkinson glanced around the room to make sure that each of the students had successfully lit their center candles before continuing, "Please hold the shamash with your dominant hand and we'll recite the blessings slowly", a brief glance to Malfoy, "If you wouldn't mind translating for our goy", he nodded, she took a deep breath, and Harry realized that everyone else in the room had mirrored her right before a medley of slow foreign words were being recited by almost everyone in the room, "Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam…"

Malfoy's voice had dropped into the deep, liquid tone that Harry had only heard him use for Brythonic as he recited the blessing in English, "Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe…"

"…asher kidishanu b'mitz'votav v'tzivanu…"

"…Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us…"

"…l'had'lik neir shel Hanukkah. Amein."

"…To light the lights of Hanukkah. Amen."

"Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam…"

"Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe…"

"…she'asah nisim la'avoteinu bayamim haheim baziman hazeh. Amein."

"…Who performed miracles for our ancestors in those days at this time. Amen."

"Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu, melekh ha'olam…"

"Blessed are you, Lord, our God, sovereign of the universe…"

"…shehecheyanu v'kiyimanu v'higi'anu laz'man hazeh. Amein."

"…Who has kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Amen."

"Now, please carefully light the first candle", Parkinson looked around the room briefly while the assorted witches and wizards complied, "And return the shamash to the center."

Her short hair bounced slightly with her nod as the older student looked towards the windows into the lake where students who were finishing with their task had stepped back away from their menorah. Harry silently took in the variations. The third years had a pale oak with chartreuse candles that was eye catching even if he wasn't sure he completely trusted flames and wood being that close, and the fourth years had a silver menorah formed out of entwining snakes with glittering green candles, which looked similar to how Harry imagined the green and silver of their House ties would look if the colors were combined.

The fifth years had a standard sized gold menorah with pale green candles, and the sixth years had a rather lovely silver tree with each arm of the menorah a slim branch for the pale blue candles that looked taller than the rest. Harry squinted for a moment before the familiar shape clicked as the tapers Aunt Petunia broke out for holiday dinners, but he was undoubtedly impressed despite himself by the seventh years' menorah when he turned his head to the far right.

The tallest and largest silver menorah of the lot that looked like it was heavy enough to knock someone out and needed deep green pillar candles. He was quite sure the pillar wouldn't finish burning anytime soon, even if it was left to burn overnight. The visual disparity was rather like listening to everyone recite the blessings - discordant in pitch and volume across the students, but harmonious in the pacing of the words and intent.

A smattering of relieved laughter, small smiles, "Chag sameach", and other Hebrew words - "Chag urim sameach" - floated around the room, "Hanukkah sameach!"

--

Revision

Comment in moderation: Ummmm, please don't take this the wrong way but....we don't use menorahs for Hanukkah. We use hanukiahs. The difference is that a menorah is more common, and has 6 branches whereas a haunkiah is only used during Hanukkah and has 8 branches in addition to the shamas. Also, we don't blow out the candles. It's not allowed -- we let them burn throughout the night. There isn't a set amount of time for either Shabbas or Hannukah candles. Sorry, I just...it's important to me.

Menorah / Hanukiah

I do have a vague memory of someone talking about a hanukiah in a response to an anon, but I still seemed to run into a lot of menorah usage from Jewish bloggers and sources (ex. Lighting the Menorah). I thought it was a slight difference in movements and/or colloquial usage - I tend to follow US Reform bloggers (not really presenting themselves as 101 sources), and the hanukiah mention came from an Orthodox angle, specifically answering a question for a convert. Because of that, in Ch 22 when I introduced a more Orthodox Hufflepuff, I had him use “chanukiah” instead of menorah.

Revision: It clearly wouldn’t be the end of the world to change Pansy’s use of menorah to chanukiah/hanukiah, but I wouldn’t really expect Harry to know that difference unless I have another character explain it to him.

"You know I like to light the chanukiah on time, dear" [...]

[...] "Slytherin has an unofficial tradition to put out a different chanukiah for each year, and the chanukiah for first years always goes above the mantle."

[...] "No fancy spells to show off lighting the shamash, everyone. Please use the box of matches at the base of your chanukiah, so we have the least amount of accidents."

Timing

At first I was honestly confused because I don’t remember having anyone blow out candles, but then I realized it was still connected to the time limit stuff (a time limit implies blowing out the candles). After looking at sources again, there’s a mix up on my end, a phrasing issue, and not being clear about school imposed limits.

The candles must remain lit every night for at least 30 minutes after nightfall. - “How long do the Chanukah candles have to burn?” (link).

The lights should burn for at least half an hour; thus, when lighting, there should be sufficient oil for them to burn for that amount of time. Those who light at sunset must place sufficient oil for the lights to burn for at least fifty minutes – twenty minutes from sunset until the appearance of the stars and thirty minutes afterwards. - “When to Light” (link).

Revision: I’m not really sure that getting into this level of detail actually helps, so I think I’m just cutting it instead of switching up phrasing or numbers.

Parkinson waved her wand to levitate the menorah for first years down onto a nearby side table designated for the purpose by a deep blue cloth that protected the dark walnut from dripping wax. She motioned to the candles for the benefit of the two first years more so than the guests, "The prefects are allowed to extinguish any unaccompanied candles after a half hour, so it's important we don't all leave them unattended, okay?"

The young girl nodded and glanced to the witch at her side, olive skin and coppery red hair shone in the firelight of the torches distributed around the common room in serpentine sconces.

Shabbat: Mentioning Friday and Shabbat had more to do with taking into account extra time that the rest of the Hanukkah candles were going to be lit than talking about a time limit on how long the Shabbat candles are lit (separate candles from all this). It was a little more relevant when I brought in the more Orthodox character mentioned above:

On Friday afternoon, the lighting of the Chanukah lights precedes the lighting of the Shabbat candles. - “When to Light” (link).

Tbh, I didn’t set out to get into very detailed stuff like Shabbat observance, which is partially why that Orthodox OC went back to Hufflepuff for that. I’m pretty sure the above revising removes the implication that there’s a set time limit for Shabbat candles. From the comment section on “Shabbat Candles” (link):

Because we are not allowed to extinguish a flame on Shabbat, we allow the candles/oil wick to burn out, ideally they should burn at least until nightfall.

Ideally, the candles should be big enough that they last into the night and you enjoy your Shabbat meal in their glow. If they burn out before you had a chance to enjoy their light on Shabbat, then you need to get longer ones. Standard tea lights or the white cylindrical Shabbat candles are generally adequate, but birthday candles, for example, may be too small.

Depending on the quality of the tea light candle, they average 3 - 5 hours burn time and some (probably more costly) can get into the 6 - 7 hour range (anecdotal, but not hard to google if someone really wants to know).

[angelsandcelestials]

Messages from your Angels & Guides~December 2-9, 2018

December's Theme ~ Joy

Affirm: " I am Joy! My life is an eternal celebration of my joy!"

November has breezed by and here we are approaching the start of the holidays.  Whether you celebrate Hannukah, Kwaanza, Yule, or Christmas. Or if you don't celebrate anything at all.  I hope you find joy in your life. I know that for some the holidays may seem stressful due to family issues, money woes. Then there is also the changing of the season which due to shorter daylight hours, you may feel sad. I am aware that some folks just are not feeling this time of the year. Especially, when you are bombarded by commercials and holidays songs. I recognize that, know that I hear you and I feel you and I just want to say to you that you matter. You are special and you deserve joy in your life.

Choose which message you would like to receive for this week. Your choices are Animal Totem, Crystal Tarot or Chakra Wisdom.

If you chose Crystal Tarot~ Your message is Ace of Wands. 

 This week will be lit with possibilities. Fire energy abounds (especially for Aries, Leo & Sagittarius). New beginnings, new starts. Passions activated. An unexpected event such as love or romance, a gift or opportunity will ignite the flow of your emotions in any direction. Express feelings and find love in all you do. If you allow emotional blocks to affect you now then you are stopping any new possibilities or relationships from developing. You may do this because of past experiences. But the message here is to leave the past where it belongs...the past. Remember, yesterday was history, the future is a mystery and the gift right now is the present. Working with Aventurine can help you with releasing the past. It will also make you aware of present opportunities. Be aware that there are more than 5 senses at work.  A sixth sense beckons. Trust feelings and impressions. Find new ways to connect with Spirit.

The time frame for this Ace is usually within one day or one week.

If you chose Animal Totem~ Your message is Eagle.

When you live your life according to Spiritual Law, Spirit's intent expresses through your personality easily and fluidly. Your light will shine only if you let it. Your job is to listen to and heed Spirit's directives, and your life will flow quite easily and naturally.  Your conscious mind is the receiver and the transmitter of these urgings, translating the information sent from Spirit through pure awareness into the physical realm and decipherable communication. Eagles bring messages from Heaven and Spirit to you.

Birds represent the air element. The element of Air is attached to the signs Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius. This element is the marker for intellectuals,

If the eagle has appeared, it bestows freedom and courage to look ahead.

Keywords: Vision, Courage, Universality.

Absorbing Negativity 

With the days growing shorter and the nights growing longer, it’s easy to slip into a bit of a funk at this time of year. Time to do a little SAD first aid. SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, is a mild depression that happens as a result of the lessened levels of sunlight and the resultant lower levels of vitamin D produced within the human body.

Meditate this morning, sitting quietly for ten minutes before your day starts. Close your eyes. Breathe in, pause, then exhale. Envision yourself surrounded by white light. Breathe the light into your chest. Pause and feel it travel into your head. Exhale it out the top of your head and cascade it around you. With each breath, feel the light warm and brighten you internally.

When you feel calm and centered, move on with your day. Resolve to buy vitamin D and supplement your diet.  

Finally, if you chose Chakra Wisdom~ Your message here is... surprise, surprise... Joy! I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that your Angels and Guides really want you to feel and live with joy. To me  Sunflowers figure significantly all over this card.  

Sunflower Meanings~ *Because of the myth of Clytie and Apollo, the sunflower most commonly means adoration and loyalty. However, sunflower meanings can vary across cultures. *In China, people associate sunflowers with a long life, good fortune, and vitality. *To Native American groups, sunflowers represented harvest, bounty, and provision because they provided seeds, pigment, and more.

Sunflower Symbolism & Colors

The sunflower’s yellow color symbolizes vitality, intelligence, and happiness. The color yellow also traditionally symbolizes friendship.

Sunflowers also symbolize worship and faithfulness in various religions because of their resemblance to the sun, which is associated with spiritual knowledge and the desire to seek light and truth.

The Incas used sunflowers to symbolize the Sun God and brought them to temples for worship. The priestesses also wore sunflowers on their garments and as crowns.

Authors and other influential figures have used sunflower symbolism to inspire them too, causing them to write encouraging words like:

Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It’s what the sunflowers do. – Helen Keller

Every friend is to the other a sun, and a sunflower also. He attracts and follows. – Jean Paul

      Light-enchanted sunflower, thou/ Who gazest ever true and tender/ On the sun’s revolving splendor. – Pedro Calderon de la Barca

Yellow also represents the Solar Plexus(along with the stomach and digestive organs) chakra. Visualize a beam of sunlike yellow light to activate this chakra.

This vibrational energy is walking on air. A pure essence of joy comes through detachment. Yellow brings you joy but does not experience it. Its purpose is to radiate what is inside. This powerful energy moves your projects forward. It is too detached to be creative but will draw in assistance when necessary to further your goals.

Ok... so that is all for this week.

My son is stopping by to take me out to eat for my birthday, so I need to get ready. Have a wonderfully blissful day! And a magical week!  

This week's messages are brought you courtesy of The Crystal Tarot, The Power Animal and The Chakra Wisdom Oracles.

I do hope that this week’s messages resonated with you. If it hasn’t at first glance, then feel free to re-read them. There may be a deeper or hidden message specifically for you from your angels and/or guides. These messages may also apply to several people and/or the collective. That’s how Spirit works..lol Let me know though I would love to hear from you. Also, please share, reblog, and like. This way you will be paying it forward for others to receive this guidance. Follow Angels & Celestials on Instagram And on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AngelsandCelestials111/

[christopherporreca01]

A menorah left unattended leads to death of Brooklyn mother and three children

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Firefighters inspect the scene of a fatal fire Monday in Brooklyn. (Mark Lennihan/AP)

On Sunday night, the sixth night of Hannukah, the Azan family lit a large menorah in the living room window of their Brooklyn home, neighbors said. The menorah burned with oil, commemorating how in about 200 B.C. a tiny bit of oil miraculously kept a Temple’s menorah lit for eight days, according to…