“Our most treasured family heirlooms are those tied in with sweet family memories.”

When my first grandchild arrived, my whole world changed. It took a year and a half, but soon there was a little girl calling me “Sata,” as I use the Hebrew name Savta. Aside from all the other changes in my world, I remember clearly bringing my first granddaughter Oryah to my Sabbath candle lighting table and holding her in one arm as I lit the candles with the other hand. Yes, it was a bit of a juggling act, and my husband was there to help me so I would not burn down the house or drop the baby. Of course, there is no replacing the experience of lighting the Sabbath candles with your granddaughter next to you.

There are a number of different names for grandmother (grandfather too).

Grandma, Grandmama, Gram, Grammie, Bubbie, Savta, Nana, Babba, Oma, Grandmere, Abuela and so many more.

It doesn’t matter what they call you, it is the thrill of having them call your name and run into your arms that really counts.

In my house, I light a candle for every member in my family. That’s just my custom. It means that I light 16 candles each week. (I have 3 children + their 3 spouses + my 8 grandchildren + my husband and myself.)

When the grandchildren come to my home, I like to have them come into my ceramic studio and work with clay. They often come to me with an idea of something they want to make.  For Chanukah every year they make their own Menorahs. Usually it is their own ideas that create the menorah, with my guiding their little hands.  It is fun to watch as they learn more skills each year and develop their own techniques. Then I love to watch their faces as they light their own creations each of the eight nights.

I don’t feel like the “wise old” grandmother that I remember visiting when I was a child, but I am a grandmother in my own way. My grandmother’s husband died young leaving her with 7 children to raise on her own. She had to work to support her family. My other grandmother lived a long life with her husband.  When I married, they often came to have Shabbat and holiday dinners at my table.

Now I love having my grandchildren around my table to celebrate holidays and Shabbat. I hope I am creating with them memories and stories that they will one day share with their grandchildren. When you buy your grandchild a Chanukah menorah, kiddish cup, or candlesticks, you enable them to start a collection of their own filled with Jewish memories to share with their children and grandchildren one day.