Hanukkah Begins at Sunset Today

Celebrate the Festival of Lights with fun events and delicious recipes.

Hanukkah 2012 in the Lehigh Valley

Celebrate the Festival of Lights with fun events and delicious recipes.

This year, Hanukkah begins on the evening of Saturday, Dec. 8, and ends a week later on Sunday, Dec. 16. According to Chabad.org, Hanukkah starts on the Hebrew calendar date of 25 Kislev and lasts for eight days. For those of us who aren't attuned to the Jewish calendar, that translates to sundown on Saturday, Dec. 8.  Here are some of the Hanukkah events and services in the Lehigh Valley: Chabad Lubavitch of the Lehigh Valley  -- Menorah Making at Home Depot Sunday, Dec. 9, 2 p.m., at Home Depot, 1350 MacArthur Road, Whitehall Menorah Making and Olive Press demonstration -- Menorah Lighting/Allentown Monday, Dec. 10, 5 p.m., at 7th and Hamilton streets, Allentown. There will be songs and jelly donuts. -- Menorah Lighting/Easton Tuesday, …

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Buddy, Can You Spare Some Time?

We’ve been given the gift of time. The trick is to use it well.

The movie “In Time,” released earlier this year, is about a futuristic society in which time is the main currency. Poor people work to be able to extend their lives a few more days, while the rich stockpile time, living to a ripe old age. You could argue that the film simply adds a dramatic edge to deals most of us make every day. After all, the wealthy can already buy more leisure time and better health care, nutrition and safety, which often contribute to longer lives. The working poor essentially sell chunks of their time every day to make money to keep body and soul together. In this economy, many of us in the middle class are just happy when someone is willing to pay us to work 40 hours each week. Unlike in the movie, we don't have …

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Margie Peterson

3:13 pm on Thursday, December 22, 2011

Thanks Zulma, Bob, Mark, Pat and Heidi. If you haven't already clicked on the Carolyn Arends video on YouTube that I linked to in the column, I highly recommend it. It stays with you.   more ›

Holiday Guide 2011

Patch Picks: Five Little-Known Hanukkah Facts

Even if you’re not lighting a menorah this season, here are five things you might not have known about Hanukkah.

Hanukkah, the Jewish “festival of lights,” is right around the corner. The eight-day holiday begins at sunset on Tuesday, Dec. 20, and ends at sunset on Wednesday, Dec. 28. When most people think of Hanukkah--sometimes spelled “Chanukah” because of its pronunciation in Hebrew--they think of dreidels, the nine-armed version of a menorah called a Chanukiah, and Adam Sandler. But here’s a few things you might not know about the world’s most oft-misspelled holiday: 1. The dates of Hanukkah are always different. Well, at least to our calendar. If you had a Hebrew calendar on-hand, you’d see that Hanukkah always begins on the 25th day of the Jewish month Kislev. For our Gregorian calendar, Hanukkah can begin anywhere between late November and …

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Five Things to Know Today

Five Things to Know Today: December 19

It's the most wonderful time of the year, right?

1. Weather: Not as sunny today. The National Weather Service forecast for our area says clouds will increase as the day goes on. The high temperature will be near 45 degrees. 2. In Case You Missed It: How do you combat kiddie clutter? 3. Quote of the Day: "The darkness of the whole world cannot swallow the glowing of a candle."  -- Robert Altinger. 4. Coming Up: Macungie's Town Beautification Committee has named two winners in its annual holiday lights contest. Catch it at 9 a.m. 5. Today in History: On this day in 1998, after nearly 14 hours of debate, the House of Representatives approved two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton, charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice. Clinton…

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Take Our Poll

Take Our Poll: Which Holiday Greeting?

Which variation do you prefer to convey the sentiments of the season?

This time of year there's an electricity in the air: the holidays -- Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice -- are all around us. Whether they're happy or stressful or for some reason sad, they're here and they're not leaving until next month. What's your preferred holiday greeting? How do you prefer that others greet you? Take our poll and tell us why you feel the way you do in the comments section!

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