Don’t get me wrong here. My Jewish friends do not celebrate Christmas. Hanukkah, certainly, but Christmas, no.

This year, Hanukkah begins on the evening of Sunday, Dec. 18, and ends on the evening of Monday, Dec. 26. It is a celebration of the dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the Second Century B.C. Each day, an additional candle is lit on the seven-branched menorah. Lots of psalms are read, special hymns are sung, and generous charity is practiced. Many unseen acts of kindness are done.

  

Jonathan Tobias is a resident of Edenton.