We had a busy holiday season this year! As the kids grow older, it feels more important to help them share their Jewish culture with others so that they don't feel alone in a sea of Christmas. Here in China, Christmas isn't as visible, but most of the other Consulate families celebrate it. So we volunteered to play the dreidel game at the Consulate holiday party, as well as each kid's class holiday party. We also volunteered to go to the kids' classes and briefly talk about Hanukkah.
We also invited all of the Consulate's Jews to a Hanukkah party, which included making latkes for the first time! I used an interesting recipe that involved mashing half of the potatoes and shredding the other half. It made substantial latkes with a yummy center. However, I was completely inept at frying them! They were either raw or burned- no middle ground. That was the first batch. So I asked my ayi to do the next batch, and she rocked them! Thank goodness, because I don't know that these folks would have forgiven me...
We also made Hanukkah cookies, a family tradition. I used this nice sugar cookie recipe recommended by a blogger friend. Now that I can make fairly decent cookie dough, it's time to tackle frosting. We just slather it on with a knife, but I think next year I'll get some of those doohickeys that help you apply the frosting more expertly. All these baking friends of mine are making me take things to the next level. :)
On Christmas Day, we got a kick out of choosing where to eat Chinese food, since that's what good Jews do in America. As you can imagine, we had some great choices! We went to a nearby restaurant (Bing Sheng) that appears on all the 'best food in Guangzhou' lists, and it was delicious. The pork buns are seriously to die for. My son has become quite picky, and didn't eat much (it kills me). But my daughter is pretty great about trying things.
We planned to do some sightseeing on Christmas Day, but the air wasn't great, so we stayed close to home, organizing and reading, for a few days. Honestly, it was great. Lots of rest and good food. Couldn't ask for more.
On New Year's we were invited to a delicious Turkish feast at the home of some lovely friends. We all have small kids, so we weren't sure we could make it to midnight. At around 11pm, everyone headed home, but my kids were determined to stay awake until 12. So we watched a movie and at five minutes before midnight, we went outside where the apartment complex was having a big party. We stood on the second floor overlook, counting down until midnight. It was the perfect night for 6 and 8 year old kids!
We are excited about a wonderful 2015!
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