Christmas Greetings

Have a warm and cheerful Christmas and a happy New Year.

Two Views of Michigan Avenue at Night (Chicago, IL)

I took these photos towards the end of my trip, when I was walking down Michigan Avenue and soaking up the Christmas shopping energy. With their lights of red and green, both the John Hancock Center (above and below) and the Bloomingdale building (below) are decked out in seasonal glory. Growing up in Chicago, I used to love walking down Michigan Avenue during the Christmas season, with the chilled air brushing my face, sometimes bringing snow flurries to the city, and the holiday shoppers migrating from one vertical shopping mall to another.  To this day, nothing says Christmas to me like a visit to Chicago, and a walk down Michigan Avenue. After all, the holiday season is about coming home, is it not? 

Two Views of Hanukkah in the Midwest

Menorah, Daley Plaza, Chicago, IL

At this time of year, when Christmas decorations, as beautiful as they are, dominate the landscape, I take great pride in seeing large menorahs displayed in public, for everyone to witness the miracle of Hanukkah.  Here are two such menorahs on public display, thanks to the efforts of Chabad. Above, at Chicago's Daley Plaza, you can even see the famous Picasso statue in the background, along with all the activity of Chicago's annual Christkindlmarket.  Good times.

Menorah, Milwaukee Union Station, Milwaukee, WI

(An Early) Happy Hanukkah!

This post is dedicated to Hanukkah, which begins in the coming week.  And no, I am no pessimist; I just happen to love the Hebrew letter shin.

In the Hanukkah game of spin the dreidel, shin indicates when a player has to take a piece of gelt or a coin (or, when I was a kid in Hebrew school, some M&M's) from their own stash and add it to the collective pot.  The Hebrew letter gimmel (not displayed) indicates when a player wins everything in the collective pot.

May you have a Happy Hanukkah, and may the new year of 2015 bring you many "gimmel moments" of good health, prosperity, and joy.

Christmas Greetings

Christmas Tree Detail, Daley Plaza, Chicago, IL

Wishing you all the magic of the season:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Carolers at Christkindlmarket, Chicago, IL

The Christmas Tree Post

As I have already mentioned, the Christmas season is one of the times of year, along with autumn, when I miss my hometown of Chicago the most.  I love the lights and decorations that come with Christmas, providing color, warmth, and illumination to an otherwise dark period of the year.  I also love the snow.  I wish I had been more deliberate in pursuing this theme when I was visiting Chicago, as there were many specimens to choose from, but I hope these suffice to give you, dear blog follower, an idea of the beauty found in Chicago during the Christmas season.  Above is a Christmas tree found in the lobby atrium of the Sears Tower.  Outside, the snow swirls and whips about in the wind.  By the way, I used this visit to resume my search for Willis Tower, but with no luck.

Above, a Christmas tree found on the second floor of the Milwaukee Public Market (the only non-Chicago specimen included here), sporting a patriotic theme.

Above, a wholesome, country-inspired Christmas tree, situated in a bank parking lot, of all places, across the street from The Lucky Horseshoe Lounge.

Above, gracing the park of the historic Water Tower.

A profusion of color and light in Daley Plaza, on display during the annual Christkindlmarket festival.

Above, a grand, multi-storied finale on the second floor of the Bloomingdale's mall on Michigan Avenue.  I must confess that I found the Christmas decorations in Chicago this year to be somewhat muted, but this particular Christmas tree would stand out on any given year.

Mountaintop Menorah, Tempe, AZ

A menorah graces the top of A-Mountain, not far from the Tempe campus of ASU. May the coming year offer you many summits to climb and reach.

HAPPY HANUKKAH!

Mixed Messages in Phoenix, AZ

With Halloween just a couple of weeks into the past, I am not sure if I am ready for Christmas decor, not yet, and I am still trying to reconcile sights like this, where a Christmas tree, which to me suggests a winter setting of chill and snow, stands in front of palm trees, which remind me that I am now living in a winterless desert. I am no "snowbird"; autumn and winter still make me homesick for the Midwest.

In Memory

May His great Name be blessed forever and to all eternity. Blessed and praised, glorified, exalted and extolled, honored, adored and lauded be the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He. 

Beyond all the blessings, hymns, praises and consolations that are uttered in the world; and let us say, 

Amen.

- excerpt from The Mourner's Kaddish (English translation)

Hanukkah Reflection

Electric Hanukkah Menorah, 2012

Yes, I know. Hanukkah is over. But I took this photo showing the electric menorah lit on last night and wanted to share it. Electric menorahs can look pretty festive, with multicolored light bulbs adding variety to the effect. But regular menorahs, displaying lit candles or oil, cast an austere glow to beat back the overwhelming dark. So fitting with our aspirations at this time of year, to find light and have it vanquish the dark, in a season when days give way to long stretches of night.

Eight lights, plus the shamash, for eight nights of Hanukkah. The shamash and one candle are lit on the first night, and then one light is added for each of following days. I find the contrast in effect between the first night of Hanukkah and the last night to be remarkable. On first night, you have two candles flickering against the gloom, but on the final night you have eight lights, plus the shamash, casting a powerful glow to push the shadows back. The message of the image is clear: we need one another, for what we can achieve together in community is far greater than what we can accomplish alone as individuals.

Have a festive holiday season, and may you and those you love enjoy happiness and peace. Happy holidays to all of you. May your days be spent kindling the light and warmth of friendship, and may you strive to spread that light to others, in order to increase the light and banish the dark.