Welp, Hanukkah is officially over and it was a whirlwind this year let me tell ya. Latke making, gift getting, and on top of that, this year I did 3 Hanukkah markets and they were all such a great time.
First up was the Hanukkah Makers Market at the Weitzman Museum in Philadelphia. This one took place the Sunday following Thanksgiving so it was just Bryan and I that flew to Philly from Tampa, where we were for the holiday. Jake, Chaya, and Zoey flew directly back to Chicago and we all met back at the airport on Sunday. We stayed with my youngest sister Abby, well technically at her place because her, her hubs, and their kiddo were out in the burbs on Saturday night. And then Abby was an excellent sales assistant on Sunday at the market ... even though she did make us walk there when it was raining. But, the market was inside and so well organized and just felt like a cozy Hanukkah gathering amongst friends. There was also a very cool Sandy Koufax display right by my table, so you know, added points.
The following weekend we high-tailed it to NYC for Havurah's 4th Annual Hanukkah market and wow, was I tired after this one because it was packed. The market was from 2-7 and it felt like a constant stream of people almost the entire time. At one point after the event I saw videos of the line of people to get in, and it was just, wow. The entire fam came to this event, and the girls loved NYC. Bryan is at the age where he still just loves everything. We did not get to have authentic matzoh ball soup which Chaya really wanted, but we tried, the line at Katz' was just too long for 8:30 at night with hungry children. But back to the market, insane in the membrane in all the best ways. The energy, the vibes, and I got to meet people IRL who I have collabed with/chatted with on social media, which was just chefs kiss to the event. The day after we made it to Breads Bakery and we got the coffee cake babka which may have changed my life.
The last market I did this season was Mishkan's Hanukkah Market here in Chicago. This market was only for an hour but man oh man it was a fast-paced one. They had it take place right before their Friday night services so people were ready to mix and mingle and unwind from the week. It was really fun to meet more Jewish people in Chicago and my brother Sam came to help me/model, which was extra nice because he recently moved back to Florida so it was nice to get that time with him.
On the last night of Hanukkah, we hosted a Latkes & Long Snaps themed Hanukkah party and let me tell you I made so many latkes for the party that I felt covered in oil even after multiple everything showers, but it was totally worth it. I'll do another post all about the party and the different flavors of things I made but it was such a fun way to cap off the Hanukkah season. (The Steelers winning didn't hurt either!).
I'm always so stressed leading up to and during Hanukkah, and it always goes by so quickly. I didn't get to decorate as much as I wanted to, but there's always next year. For now, I'll just hit up all the local Targets to see what Hanukkah stuff I can find that is 70% off.