The half hour, with little kids

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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Chanukah

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amother

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 8:02 pm

I know the half hour after lecht tzindin is very special.
How do you spend that half hour after lighting with little kids (all under 5)?
Do you sing with the kids? Do you dance? Play dreidel? Do you daven? What about your husband?
Basically, what does that first half hour look like?

Thisisnotmyreal

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 8:13 pm

Keeping the baby away.

amother

Lawngreen

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 8:19 pm

We eat dinner and dessert

amother

DarkGreen

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 8:21 pm

I'm usually cooking supper. My first few years my husband made me sit with him as he said I'm not allowed to do melacha. But after that I needed to restart with supper and it was always overwhelming and hard. He spoke to his rav last year who said its like chol hamoed and cooking is most definitely allowed. The men need to sit by the candles...

amother

Amaranthus

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 8:22 pm

Supper

amother

Amaryllis

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 8:27 pm

Please no Judgement! I was only able to sit for half hour, sing, Daven, Tehillim, look at candles, was when my children were in their Late Teens. Not early teens, but nearing age 18-20. It never worked for us. Now I can sit and relax (I never understood this term) with the candles.

flowerpower

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 8:28 pm

amother Lawngreen wrote:

We eat dinner and dessert

We don’t eat that half hour.

amother

Amaranthus

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 8:31 pm

flowerpower wrote:

We don’t eat that half hour.

amother

Electricblue

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 8:33 pm

Younger kids music and dancing, the older kids say tehillim then join the dancing

amother

Begonia

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 8:43 pm

DH sings, dances, tells stories. I usually feed the littles their dinner at the menorah.

amother

Dahlia

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 8:55 pm

Singing and dancing, giving kids presents so
I can daven a few minutes

amother

NeonBlue

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 9:03 pm

Play dreidel
Sing
Dance
UnWrap the present

If we light late, they sleep

amother

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 9:38 pm

I usually serve supper before my husband lights. Then when my husband lights he likes it to be a serious time. But the kids want to sing and dance. Wwyd? I used to dance with my kids while my husband said his things. This year he said no singing/dancing till after the first half hour. But that means I have nothing to do with my kids and also after that half hour is usually bedtime already...
Wondering if your husband sings/dances with your kids or is that my shtik?

amother

Pink

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 9:41 pm

flowerpower wrote:

We don’t eat that half hour.

So interesting. I thought it was the norm for everyone to serve the doughnuts or other special Chanukah treats during that time. We sing (sometimes with a little dancing) and then eat. Sometimes play dreidel or other games.

amother

Firethorn

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 9:43 pm

I keep baby and toddlers away from the flames and husband sits by menorah. We live in tiny appartment

scintilla

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 9:48 pm

We are Chabad so the haneiros halalu song takes about half an hour 😅 it was actually composed by chassidim of the 4th Lubavitcher Rebbe who wanted to see their Rebbe for longer, and he wasn't well and would come out for menorah lighting. Fun side fact. We sing and dance with the kids during it, they love it.

I do try have something fun for each night to keep them busy for that half hour, something simple like play dreidel one night, chocolate coins the next, chanuka stickers, coloring pages... That usually takes up at least 15 minutes and then the rest of the time depends on if we've had supper yet.

giftedmom

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 10:17 pm

Sit in front of the candles and sing, the boys say a vort, sometimes they dance, many times they fight and cry especially after four consecutive party nights of not enough sleep.

amother

Whitewash

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 10:22 pm

Tonight my kids fought.

I usually try to feed them, do a gift, sing a song... but yeah, at least no homework.

They are so overtired and we only did 1 party. No idea how people do it every night...

amother

Moccasin

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 10:43 pm

amother DarkGreen wrote:

The men need to sit by the candles...

They don't need to.
Sorry, had to post that

amother

SandyBrown

Wed, Dec 13 2023, 11:43 pm

My husband likes to light by a certain time which usually coincides with bedtime Can't Believe It

So he lights, sings a song or two with the 2 year old, dances and then I take her up and start bedtime... toilet, brush teeth, book then bed. Im fine with this. My husband sits and reads tehillim while I do bedtime

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