High Holiday Hustle

It's a good thing I took a shower this morning before running to Costco to do my Rosh Hashanah shopping because I saw just about everybody I know there - doing exactly the same thing! Our shopping carts looked like a sea of Fuji Apples and Sue Bee Honey Jugs. (Okay, so maybe my cart had a pair of Kirkland Uggs thrown into the mix, but I don't want a repeat of last year when all they had left was that crazy cornflower blue color, do I?)

Here's a widely syndicated column of mine, that I wrote a couple of years ago following an equally whirlwind trip to Costco.

Show Them the Honey!

The High Holiday Hustle, we know the steps well. It starts with a tireless trek to the mall in search of that stylish synagogue suit. Next comes the culinary juggling act, simultaneously preparing Aunt Sophie’s Tzimmes, Bubbe’s Killer Kugel and a 22 pound turkey, dressed and trimmed. The last step is grooming an entire family and shuffling the whole gang out the door and into the synagogue in under an hour. The entire dance sequence (minus the shopping) is generally repeated the following day.

Scrambling through the better part of September, it’s easy to forget that the true meaning of the High Holiday season can’t be found in Nordstrom’s or Bloomingdale’s or Aunt Sophie’s tzimmes, but in appreciating and giving thanks for life’s sweetest blessings. So steal a few moments from the holiday hoopla to remind the true apples of your eye just how delicious they are. Even the simplest acts can send children a message as loud and clear as the shofar that they’re loved and cherished. The following sweet suggestions will help you show your kids the honey this Rosh Hashanah and every other day of the brand new year.

Rosh Hashanah Honey for Kids:
Take them to a paint-it-yourself ceramic shop and decorate Kiddush cups, apple plates or honey bowls together.

Leave Hershey Kisses on their pillows on Erev Rosh Hashanah along with a note wishing them a sweet New Year.

Celebrate the birthday of the world with a family nature hike.

Give the world a birthday present by planting a tree together.

Have a honey cake baking party.

Let them design the Rosh Hashanah table cloth and challah cover using fabric crayons or markers.

Make a Rosh Hashanah maze by giving kids clues that lead them to different places in your home (ex: Go to the place where you rest your rosh (head) every night). Have a new clue waiting at each stop and a bag of sweet holiday treats at the final destination.

Take a family excursion to an apple picking orchard.

Bake a round challah together.

Log onto http://www.torahtots.com/ and http://www.babaganewz.com/ where little “techies” can find fun Rosh Hashanah games and activities.

Have a taschlich ceremony by a lake or river so kids can cast their sins away and start out the year with a fresh, clean slate.

Turn an apple on its side and cut it in half to reveal a star in the middle. Dip the fruit in washable paint and let your little stars stamp away.

Steal some time to read a High Holiday picture book together (even if they complain that they’re way too old to listen to a story!). Some noteworthy choices are Gershon’s Monster: A Tale for the Jewish New Year by Eric Kimmel; The World’s Birthday by Barbara Diamond Goldin; Sophie and the Shofar by Fran Manushkin and How the Rosh Hashanah Challah Became Round by Sylvia Epstein.

Year-Round Sweet Stuff for Kids:
Flip through photo albums and baby books and tell them stories about when they were little.

Have lunch with them at school (note: disregard in case of pre-adolescence).

Have a campout in the living room. Roast marshmallows over candles and tell ghost stories by flashlight.

Give them a coupon that they can redeem for something priceless like going to a movie with Mom or a ballgame with Dad.

Plan a family game night once a week. TV’s, cell phones and computers not invited.

Have an unbirthday party – complete with a cake - for everyone in the family who does not have a birthday that day.

Take them on a “mystery trip” to a place you rarely go, like an amusement park, sporting event or children’s museum.

Proudly display their finest schoolwork.

Transform your family room into a movie theatre, complete with tickets and popcorn.

Send them comic books, baseball cards or other goodies in the mail.

Create a new family tradition like a weekly pizza-making night.

Do something completely out of character like starting a pillow fight.

Pack dinner up in a picnic basket and eat at the park.

Watch cartoons with them.

Make up a secret signal together for saying “I love you”. (Little ones will love being sneaky; older kids will be thankful to save face in public.)

Arrange with the teacher to read a book to their class.

Host special dinners to celebrate their everyday accomplishments like losing a tooth, scoring a soccer goal, or getting an A on a science test.

Slip a joke into their backpacks.

Ask them for advice about something they know well.

Tell them you love them (even if they roll their eyes when they hear it) every morning and every night.

L’Shana Tova to You and All Your Little Honeys!