A few days ago, I decided to take a video of my boys opening their Chanukah presents.

As you can see, NHL’s present was a Super Hero Squad game for the Wii. I won this from Mommies With Style and we decided to give it to NHL for Chanukah. (Thanks, MWS!) A little while after this video was filmed, NHL was playing the game on the Wii, and beating my super-hero (Falcon) up as he played as The Incredible Hulk.

JSL already had seen his present when we bought it. Ever since we had gone to the Wiggles concert, he’s wanted a guitar like Murray. Strange, since his favorite Wiggle seems to be Anthony and not Murray. Anyway, he was there when we bought it in Toys ‘R Us, but threw a tantrum when he didn’t get it right away. He kept screaming "Want my Hanukah! Want my Hanukah!" He didn’t realize that he needed to actually wait for Chanukah before getting his gift. Once the box was opened and the guitar handed to him, he started playing…. Maybe not playing his guitar like Murray, but he did have fun.

Gotta love the excitement kids have opening gifts! Happy Chanukah, everyone!

I posted a rant a few weeks ago about how the Christmas season tends to get on my nerves by permeating everything around me, with people acting like it’s odd that I don’t celebrate it. After a few days of Chanukah, though, I’ve mellowed out a bit. Oh, don’t get me wrong, I still hate that every place in America goes Christmas-crazy. I still can’t stand the plethora of Christmas songs played with nary a Chanukah song in sight. I still bristle when my kids are asked what they want from Santa. But, I’ve decided to try to focus on the positive. I’ve decided to focus on why I like celebrating Chanukah instead of Christmas.

1. Chanukah celebrates freedom. Where Christmas celebrates the birth of a religion’s messiah figure (or was it the arrival of a magical fat man bearing toys?), Chanukah celebrates freedom. Back in the day, a Syrian king ruled over the land of Judea. Jews living in that land were told that they could no longer worship their own religion. They couldn’t read the Torah, observe Shabbat, or anything. They had to worship the Greek gods or else. Many went along with this, but not Judah Maccabee. He organized a group that revolted and fought for their freedom of religion. They won against overwhelming odds and drove the Syrians out of Judea. Chanukah commemorates that victory.
2. Chanukah ties in nicely with American history. America was colonized by people fleeing religious persecution. It became a separate country when the people got sick of a king imposing his ways onto them. America has valued religious freedom when other countries would rather force everyone to worship the same god. These themes are echoed in the Chanukah story. Teaching them together reinforces the message that each one sends.
3. Chanukah has a conservation message. After the Syrians were driven out, the Jews tried to rebuild but found their temple defiled. They only had enough oil to light their menorah for one night. (It was supposed to stay lit 24/7 those days.) It would take 8 days to make more. Miraculously, the oil lasted 8 days! Yes, the conservation angle is a modern twist, but it’s not that bad of a fit. If we could make our resources stretch 8 times as long, there would be a lot less pollution/etc in the world.
4. Chanukah is inexpensive. Ok, there’s the whole 8 days of presents thing (which isn’t *really* part of Chanukah but has been ingrained long enough that it might as well be). Of course, those don’t have to be 8 huge presents. We tend to give one or two larger presents and then round it out with smaller ones (books, clothing, etc). Other than that, though, all you really need is a menorah (which you use year after year) and candles for each night. (44. Yes, I did the math.) Alternatively, you could use an oil menorah which is more authentic and possibly less expensive. (We tend to buy our candles on clearance after Chanukah and then put them away for next year.) We don’t need to buy a tree or lighting or ornaments or plastic Santas to sit on our lawn. Oh, and you should have some dreidels but you don’t need to make them out of clay.
5. Chanukah is easy. See the previous point about tree, lighting and ornaments. All we need to do is put the menorah out, light some candles, say some blessings and call it a night. The hardest thing about Chanukah might be frying up latkes, but you could always take the lazy way out (*cough*like I did*cough*) and buy frozen.
6. Chanukah isn’t overcommercialized. This is the flip-side to the “Christmas is everywhere, what about Chanukah” thing. While at times Chanukah might seem to be ignored, it also isn’t overcommercialized. I’m not going to see countless “RANDOM CARTOON CHARACTER Saves Chanukah” specials. I’m not going to be pressured into buying tons of useless junk because it’s got a menorah or dreidel stamped on it. I’m not going to be marketed to like crazy with the insinuation that I either spend a ton of time and money or my Chanukah is somehow less meaningful. Again, there’s the whole 8 nights of gifts thing, but that’s all.

In addition to all of this, my quest to find good Chanukah music was aided by an unlikely source. Normally, I’d be opposed to pretty much everything Orrin Hatch stands for. His political views and mine almost never agree. However, he recently recorded a Chanukah song. And this isn’t just Orrin singing “I Have A Little Dreidel”, it’s a brand new song! You can read the story behind it and hear the song itself at The Atlantic. It’s found a place in my rotation along with the Barenaked Ladies Chanukah songs and Adam Sandler’s originals.

So all in all, I’m happy to celebrate Chanukah! Now, if you’ll excuse me, this dreidel won’t spin itself.

I’m a fan of skepticism. Really, I am. I was reading a post recently about a necklace that supposedly cured eczema and I thought how ridiculous that might be that a necklace would cure a skin condition that it didn’t even touch. In cases like this, skepticism means looking for scientific evidence that a certain product works or doesn’t work. However, one thing skepticism should never involve is being mean.

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The week is up and the Sid the Science Kid giveaway has ended. I used Random.org to pick a winning number from the 59 entries and the winner was:

Yes, number 12, also known as Noelle Cagle has won a Talkin’ Sid plush. I’ve e-mailed Noelle and she now has 48 hours to respond with her mailing information. If she fails to respond, another winner will be selected.

Congratulations to Noelle and thank you to everyone that entered. I wish I could send a Sid plush to everyone, but I’ll have to settle with saving everyone $3.00 off the purchase of the Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid plush at Toys ‘R Us. Go to Coupons.com and click on the “Toy and Game” link on the left hand side of the page. (Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid is currently only available at Toys ‘R Us.)

I would also like to thank The Jim Henson Company and KCET (PBS/Los Angeles) for allowing us to run this contest and for sending us a Talkin’ Sid of our own to review. This review is in progress look for it in the next week or so.

I love science. Always have. As a young child, a couple of my first career aspirations were archeologist and astronomer. (Of course, I wanted to become a baker too at one point.) My first year in college, I was a physics major until I slammed into that brick wall known as Quantum Mechanics. (Yes, I took Quantum Mechanics in my freshman year. Russian too. Yes, I was crazy!) Even though I didn’t choose science as a career, I still retain an interest in all things scientific. I enjoy reading about scientific advances and try to keep somewhat up to date with the latest scientific theories.

Lately, I’ve also been trying to ignite a scientific interest in NHL. I’ve talked to him about how the stars are very far away. So far away, in fact, that looking up in the sky is like looking back in time. I also like it when he watches shows, like Sid the Science Kid, that show science to be fun and exciting. (Oh, by the way, did you enter my Sid the Science Kid giveaway yet? If not, what’s keeping you? Go! Enter now!) Even better is when he comes home from school and starts telling me about some scientific information he learned in school. NHL definitely seems to have that scientific spark – the desire to know how things in the world work the way they do.

My Aloha Friday question is: How do you inspire your child to take an interest in science?

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #17

This post is a day late thanks to a lot of Birthday excitement. And by “excitement”, I mean things going wrong left and right. The plan for B’s birthday was to drop the kids off at her parents’ house and then go out to eat. B had even decided that we would go to a nice Japanese steakhouse for her birthday meal.

Then the excitement arrived and our plans went out the window.

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A few weeks ago, BuddyTV ran a Heroes contest. I entered and was quite surprised to learn that I won. Not too long afterwards, a box arrived at my doorstep with some Heroes goodies.

Let’s go through these one at a time, shall we? First off are the Heroes Season 1 and Season 2 DVD sets.

Also in there was a Matt Parkman action figure (as well as Molly Walker). Parkman is, of course, played by the fantastic Greg Grunberg.

Next up is a Hiro bobblehead. In Season 1, there were two “Hiro” characters. One, from the present, was a geeky sort of guy who wore glasses. The other, from the future, wore no glasses, had a goatee, and had a more kick-butt attitude. The bobblehead captures both Hiros nicely.

Finally, there was a necklace. But not just any necklace. Heroes fans will recognize this as the necklace worn by the mostly-silent, memory erasing friend/co-worker of Mr. Bennett (aka Noah, aka HRG): The Haitian.

All in all a great prize package. Thanks again, BuddyTV!

I’m a big proponent of science. I was even a physics major for awhile in college. So I like anything that helps to teach my children about the workings of the world around them. In addition, I’m a big fan of pretty much everything that the Jim Henson Company makes (and has made), from the Muppets to the television show Dinosaurs to Farscape. When I watch a Jim Henson production, I can be sure that it will be entertaining and high quality. Sid The Science Kid is no exception.

Sid always begins the show puzzled by a certain phenomenon. Whether it be a banana gone bad or shoes that "mysteriously shrink", Sid wonders how the event happened. Just like any good science kid, or grownup, Sid uses various tools to figure it out. He looks up information on the computer (aided by his mother), he comes up with a few theories (aided by his school yard friends), and he performs some experiments (with the help of Teacher Susie). In the end, Sid understands just what makes that phenomenon occur and starts to dream of putting it to good use (in his Super-Duper-Ooper-Schmooper Big Idea). The translation of the processes that real scientists go through is faithful while remaining understandable to children.

NHL has loved the Sid the Science Kid television show for quite awhile (as I’ve mentioned in the past). During a recent trip to a toy store to shop for Chanukah presents, he noticed the Sid toys. He was drawn to them and wanted one. In the end, we we decided to get him other items, but thanks to The Jim Henson Company and KCET (PBS/Los Angeles), NHL will soon have a Sid The Science Kid Talkin’ Sid to review. Ok, technically it is for me to review, but you don’t think I’m not going to recruit him to review it as well, do you?

You can save $3.00 off the purchase of the Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid plush at Toys ‘R Us by going to Coupons.com and clicking on the "Toy and Game" link on the left hand side of the page. Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid is currently only available at Toys ‘R Us.

But, wait, there’s more! (I’ve always wanted to say that.) I’ve been presented with the opportunity to give away one Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid plush to a lucky reader (or a lucky reader’s child as the case may be).

TALKIN’ SID THE SCIENCE KID

(Ages 3 years & up/Approx retail price: $24.99/Available Now)

Now kids can bring their friend SID home with the lively TALKIN’ SID THE SCIENCE KID plush character. This soft and loveable plush SID is 12 inches tall and comes ready to play and learn with his iconic "microphone." Squeeze his belly to hear seven different popular phrases from the series. Requires two "AA" batteries, included.

Rules for Giveaway:

• MAIN RULE – Answer the following question: What phenomenon would you like to see Sid investigate on Sid The Science Kid?
  
• 1 Bonus Entry – Follow me on Twitter @TechyDad. Post a comment here with your Twitter username.
• 1 Bonus Entry Per Day – Tweet about the giveaway. Be sure to include @TechyDad in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use): Chance to win a Talkin’ Sid The Science Kid Plush from @TechyDad. http://www.techydad.com/?p=1426
• 1 Bonus Entry Per Comment (limit of 3) – Post a comment one of my other posts from November or December. Be sure to leave a comment here telling me which post you commented on.
• 3 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the Sid The Science Kid giveaway. Be sure to leave 3 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today December 7th and ends at Noon EST on December 14, 2009. You don’t need to be a blogger to enter, but I do need you to leave a valid e-mail address in your comment so I can contact you for your mailing address once the giveaway is over. I’ll select the winner using random.org and will contact you via e-mail. Once the e-mail is sent, you will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only.

Disclaimer: As stated above, I am going to recieve a complimentary Talkin’ Sid the Science Kid to review. I haven’t recieved it as of this posting, but I figured that this giveaway should go live as early as possible. When I recieve my Talkin’ Sid, I (and NHL) will review it and will post the review on this website.

As the holiday season draws near, certain challenges arise. As I ranted talked about before in Tis The Season For Bah Humbug, we don’t celebrate Christmas. Instead, we celebrate Chanukah. This means that we don’t need to put up a Christmas tree, stuff any stockings or tell our kids that Santa is going to come and visit. However, that last item does pose a tricky dilemma. Obviously, we don’t have any personal need for our children to think that Santa Claus is real. However, if we tell them that he isn’t (especially 6 year old NHL), then that story will be repeated to other kids. Kids whose parents have said that Santa would be stopping by soon.

We don’t wish any ill will towards other families’ beliefs and practices so this one has, for now, been relatively easy to circumvent. We haven’t told them about Santa’s reality one way or another. The boys understand that Santa relates to Christmas and we don’t celebrate Christmas. However, I wonder what will happen as they get older. Will they begin to ask for a better reason why Santa won’t visit us or whether we’re on the naughty list for not celebrating Christmas? Perhaps NHL will want to know how Santa gets to every house in the world in one night. Perhaps he will have other, not so easy to answer questions. (If there’s one thing I’ve learned is that kids have a tendancy to find and ask questions that are difficult to answer.)

The more I think about the questions they might ask, the more I wonder where the line is. At what point does our wishes not to burst any bubbles clash with our wishes to raise our children to believe certain things. To expand this past Santa Claus, what happens if NHL tells a classmate in Hebrew school that men evolved from primate ancestors when that child has been taught that mankind was created by God somewhere around 10,000 years ago. That could understandably cause a sticky situation. To go past my own children, what if an athiest couple’s child tells mine that God doesn’t exist?

My Aloha Friday question is: How do you reconcile teaching your child what you would want them to believe while not offending others’ beliefs?

Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the MckLinky there if you are participating.

Aloha #16