Last night of Hanukkah

For the last night of Hanukkah, we broke with tradition and had Morris's chicken curry. We had invited the Levtov's over for a Jewish holiday dinner -- so why not curry? Potato pancakes, however, were a must. I think tonight they were even better than the ones we'd had a week ago on the first night of Hanukkah. We took a break between courses because Josh had to pick Charlotte up from swimming. But we had been careful to put some latkes aside for her so she wouldn't miss out.

Once Charlotte was home, we lit the menorah together and said the blessing before sitting down for curry. Everyone was hungry and the curry was a hit. For dessert, it is tradition to have hot, fried donuts (this was news to me but I wasn't sad about it). So, Hanna brought over a batter which she dropped by the spoonful into hot oil. She even brought the powdered sugar and sifter with which to sprinkle the sugar on top. These donuts were an even bigger hit!

Earlier in the day, Olivia's class participated in the elementary school holiday concert. Each class chose songs from a different country and was giving two performances at a hotel near the school. We attended the 1pm performance where her class, representing the United States, sang two songs one of which was "Rockin' Robin." Very cute. The class representing Sweden sang an Abba song -- "Mama Mia."

Then, at 3pm, the middle and high schools were putting on the Winter Fair where each class would perform their own musical piece. Charlotte sang "I wish I knew how it felt to be free" about apartheid in South Africa with her class. It was well done. Afterwards, there were treats on offer for all. We enjoyed a bit of the Fair before returning home.

Olivia's classmate, Federica, came home from school with us to have a playdate. She is an adorable, well-mannered, very sweet, little girl. I wish they would speak some Italian together but Olivia is resistant. Anyway, Federica likes to speak English at our place since she doesn't do so at her own home.

So, as you can see, it was a full day; now if only the kids would go to bed...