A Different Kind of Holiday

A Different Kind of Holiday

This post is dedicated to my mom, may she live and be well and stay far away from Coronavirus!

As the world remains shuttered attempting to stop the pandemic sweeping the globe, Jews around the world prepare for a very different type of Seder.  Many people will be making the holiday for the very first time. Tables that usually have 20 or 30 people will be immediate family only. Still others will be sitting solo (or hopefully on the porch, weather permitting) to keep a safe distance away from possible spread.

So how can we infuse this holiday with a special feeling? Keep it uplifting and joyous despite the circumstances?

Growing up Pesach preparations began in my house around January. No, that was not a typo. My mom is a super planner and we started our clean out early. By the time other people were beginning to clean, we were already hard at work cooking for a week filled with family and fun. Pesach was a great time in our house. Everyone came together - we were at least 20 or more for every meal for an entire week.  It was chaotic and fun and a lot of work.  My mom prepared like you’ve never experienced. Pots of soup til the store almost ran out of soup vegetables. Pounds and pounds of potatoes and onions. So many potato kugels you lost count, all hand grated of course. And then the holiday began.  My mom did all the work in the background but my Dad ran the Seder. He loved having everyone gathering and involving the kids and adults. No reading from your papers, that was a rule. If you knew the commentary well enough to say it without notes you could contribute to the conversation. Hiding the afikomen was the best scavenger hunt we ever experienced. All in all, we loved the holiday.

And now we fast forward to a year where it seems so much of that is being changed. But I believe we can infuse this holiday with a different type of meaning and experience. For once, we are not allowed to invite guests. We must focus just on our own immediate family. For eight days straight. Challenging? Most definitely. Possible? Of course!

Create your own traditions - pick something new you are going to try this year and introduce it at the Seder. There are so many great ideas out there - one of my brother in laws gets marshmallows for the Seder and tosses them as rewards to the kids for their questions and involvement. Make kits of the ten plagues and get involved! Ever seen the leek fighting tradition the sefardím have? Look it up, it’s great fun! We usually have one Seder with friends and they make it so exciting - Egyptian dress up, the four questions in every language, and loads of games and riddles.

For the rest of the holiday - Make it exciting! How?
- buy a new game that you’ve never played and make some family game time on those long holiday afternoons
- walk to the forest or gardens nearby if you have and enjoy the fresh air

As for the grandparents who are missing that time with their family and have to be solo - send them something to enjoy from afar.  Cards, letters, a new picture album. If you need other ideas, comment below with your email and I can send specifics of Pesach related ones.

Yes this is going to be a different type of holiday - but different isn’t always bad - sometimes it’s just new. Choose to make this exciting different!