Chanukah Hop Houston lights up dark time
Max Davis turned 6 on the first night of Hanukkah this year, Dec. 10 — and COVID-19 didn’t prevent him from celebrating both occasions.
Before school each morning, Max turns on the inflatable dreidel in his yard.
“We have Hanukkah lights and Hanukkah blow-ups,” he said. “We had to put them together with a plug.”
This is the first time his parents, Todd and Mali Davis, have decorated their home for the holiday.
“Our house is usually kind of dark this time of year,” Todd explained.
Most Decembers, the Davis family piles in the car for a drive to look at holiday lights — but almost never is a house decorated for Hanukkah.
“It’s kind of lonely being Jewish at Christmastime,” Todd said.
This year, however, they are shining a light in the darkness at their house in Briargrove.
“Especially for the kids, we’re looking for a way to put a positive end to a really hard year,” Todd said.
Hanukkah is, after all, the Jewish Festival of Lights, celebrating a miracle when a small amount of oil illuminated the Temple of Jerusalem for eight days.
To commemorate the holiday this year, and keep the occasion safe and socially distanced, the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston decided to host Chanukah Hop Houston.
The Davises are one of eight families that signed up. Each household agreed to decorate their homes, and their addresses were added to a map.
Families are invited to register to get their copy — and then can tour the décor any time during the eight nights of Hanukkah.
Hilary Kamin, communityengagement director for the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston, said the inspiration came from Philip Grosman’s Hanukkah House in Meyerland, decked out in lights and even accompanied by holiday music.
“They’ve been doing this for years,” Kamin said.
For the past two years, the federation’s PJ Library, an initiative that offers monthly programs and free Jewish books for member families, has met at Grosman’s driveway and read Hanukkah stories.
“We were thinking, ‘In this world where everything is different, what can be the same?’ ” Kamin explained.
She wondered, Why not expand the Hanukkah decorations throughout Greater Houston?
About a month ago, the Jewish Federation put out a call for participants. Kamin posted the details on social media and tagged people across the region.
“I wanted to reach out and make us feel like one, big Jewish Houston,” Kamin said.
Before long, houses in The Woodlands, Katy, Galveston and Bellaire were signing up. Then, Kamin learned how to create maps. Families who register for the tour are also given a link to a Spotify playlist of Hanukkah music to listen to as they tour the lights.
“It was exciting to feel that we found a way to give people something to look forward to,” Kamin said. “People wanted to do something. And it’s not just for families with kids. Any family can experience this.”
Mari O’Leary signed up to decorate her home in Meyerland. This is her first time to put up lights for the holidays.
“I felt in my heart that I wanted to bring joy, not just to my family but to others right now,” she said. “Everyone seems to be going through their own stuff, and we wanted to bring everyone together. We want to do anything we could to make our neighbors feel better. If lights are the answer, we’re all for it.”
O’Leary searched on Google for Hanukkah decorations — and bought blue lights and inflatable decorations.
“This year is really focusing on bringing forward the good from the bad,” she said. “What can we be grateful for? Light is such a symbol of that for everyone.”
Chanukah Hop Houston kicked off on the evening of Dec. 9 at the Meyerland Hanukkah House. Families drove up, and federation staff handed them milk and cookies through their car windows or trunks.
The tour will remain up for the rest of Hanukkah. Kamin said a few families will leave their decorations up for longer.
Before, COVID-19 felt discouraging, like finding only that small amount of oil in the rubble of the temple, Kamin explained.
“But it’s not about what we can’t do,” she said. “It’s about what we can do. What we can do this year is be in our cars, safely, with our families.”
She hopes that the hop will become a new Hanukkah tradition in Houston.
“This might not have happened otherwise, but we hope it will stay around,” Kamin said. “The families who are doing it feel like this may be a different way to bring joy to the community. And people are looking for a way to be a light to others right now.”
“We want to do anything we could to make our neighbors feel better. If lights are the answer, we’re all for it.” Mari O’Leary, Meyerland participant