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Emily Bolusky, public relations manager at Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa Inc., shares her cherished traditions and favorite decorations for the holiday.
What are the dates of Hanukkah this year? The first night of Hanukkah begins Dec. 11 and ends on Dec. 19. The date changes every year because the Jewish calendar is a lunar cycle calendar.
How do you plan to celebrate? Every year we have a Hanukkah party, where we invite our friends and family over to eat latkes and sufganiyot, exchange presents, listen to Hanukkah music and watch the kids play with the dreidel. We do spend each night lighting the menorah, opening presents and listening to Hanukkah music.
Why do you decorate for this holiday? It is something I love to do that I wanted to share with my daughter. My husband, Richie, and I only started decorating our house for Hanukkah once our daughter, Conley, was born. As she gets older, it is important to us that she feels she has a holiday that is special to her, while not missing out on some of the activities that our non-Jewish friends experience during the holiday season. It is always fun altering your surroundings during the holidays and being creative within your environment at the same time.
How have you accumulated the decorations? Living as a Jew in Oklahoma, or anywhere for that matter, you have to be creative in decorating for Hanukkah. If you’re lucky, you can find a menorah for sale; however, there are only so many menorahs you can put in your house. A few of our decorations have come from online or catalog stores, but the majority of the decorations are one-of-a-kind Bolusky originals made at home. A little felt and a hot glue gun can go a long way. Last year I went a little crazy with the glittered decorations and my husband officially banned glitter from our house. I think we are still cleaning up the mess a year later. 
What is your favorite decoration? By far my favorite decoration is a vintage electric menorah we found that has multicolored bubble lights rather than candles. By all accounts, it meets the specifications of a menorah, with nine total lights, one being higher than all the others to act as the Shammes (helper candle). The problem is that when we found the menorah, it was in a box that said “Bubble Brite Candelabra” with a large picture of a jolly Santa on it.
My husband and I have always imagined the menorah beginning its life intended as a Hanukkah menorah that simply could not be sold off the shelf. Therefore, as we imagine, the menorah was repackaged and sold as a Christmas item. My husband, who is both creative and artistic, has returned the decoration to its original intention.
With the help of a Sharpie permanent marker, he transformed the jolly Santa on the box into an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, complete with a wide-brimmed black hat, payot (hair curls) and a tallit (prayer shawl). Furthermore, he turned the “l” in “Bubble” to an “i,” renaming the menorah the “Bubbie Brite Candelabra.” I laugh every time I see that box.
Favorite aspect of the holiday? My daughter would say the eight nights of presents, but I think it is the family togetherness of holding each other when we say the prayer over the candles and light the menorah each night. My daughter is very excited to be able to share the holiday next year with a new brother or sister.
Favorite tradition associated with the holiday? Secretly, my husband is a sucker for Hanukkah music. A lot of Kleezmer band music with a handful of Bare Naked Ladies Hanukkah songs and a bit of Adam Sandler. Last year he made the mistake of downloading just about every Hanukkah song he could find on iTunes to his iPod. My daughter would come home from preschool and demand to blast Hanukkah songs throughout the house until bedtime. By mid-December, I’d had enough of the Hanukkah songs. My personal favorite, though, is Woody Guthrie singing “Hanukkah Dance.”
Were you raised practicing the Jewish faith? How do your current traditions differ from those you grew up practicing? I was not raised in a Jewish family. I only became Jewish prior to marrying my Jewish husband. However, by his recollection, not a whole lot has changed. My husband wanted a new video game for Hanukkah when he was a kid, and he wants a new video game for Hanukkah now as an adult. Just the graphics have improved.
