Growing up, my family went to Florida over winter break almost every year to visit our relatives. It frequently coincided with Chanukah, which was a favorite holiday of my Russian-born Great Bubbie.
She always celebrated her birthday on the first night of Chanukah, which of course falls on a different day every year. When we asked when her birthday was, she would always reply “on the first night of Chanukah.”
My Great Bubbie Anna loved singing, even though she was terribly off-key. She compensated for her tone-deafness by increasing her volume. Despite her thick-rimmed glasses and hearing aids, she couldn’t see or hear too well.
I have a fond memory of her singing Chanukah songs loudly in Yiddish. My family was seated around the dining table in Miami Beach. We had just lit the menorah, and I remember her loud, joyous singing and clapping. She never seemed to care what anyone else thought.
My Great Bubbie passed away years ago; she was somewhere in her mid-90s and I was 13. I think of her on Chanukah, her birthday, and wish she was here to celebrate with my own family and sing us Chanukah songs in Yiddish.
Sharon Spieler is a speech therapist and mother of two young children in Campbell.