A Very Merry Chanukah
A Little House Fanfic
Nellie Oleson Dalton was putting the final touches on her
little Christmas tree that she kept in her room every year since Mama Cohen
came to live with them after Percival's father passed away. It was only right,
she had helped his father, Benjamin, run Cohen's Dry Goods since it opened
forty years ago, when Edna and Benjamin were engaged to be married.
It had begun as a small storefront on the first floor of a
tenement apartment house, where Benjamin and Edna Cohen moved into a tiny
railroad flat on the second floor. Benjamin opened the store and ran it, but
behind the scenes it was Edna who kept the books and advised her husband what
to buy. As the store grew and the family with it, first Naomi, then Isaac, the
Cohen's bought a brownstone and were lucky enough to find a small empty
building to move the merchandise into. After Benjamin's death in the late fall
of 1886, Isaac had returned to New York from the Wild West, with his own
family. He was a little frightened at first and just wasn't used running the
store by himself. At Nellie's insistence, Percival had asked his mother to come
live with them and help him run the store.
Six years had passed since then and now, with Nellie helping
out, the store had become a great success and they were one big happy family.
"Almost ready?" Percival ran into their bedroom on
the third floor of the narrow brownstone. "We'll be starting soon. My
mother and my sister are putting the finishing touches on the Chanukah
dinner."
He kissed his wife of eight years on the lips. "We
don't have much more to go and we'll probably be lighting the menorah
soon."
"Isn't there something missing?" Percival asked,
eyeing the empty top of the tree. "Like a little angel?"
"That angel is here somewhere," Nellie said,
looking around for it. She had forgotten what she did with it.
"We have one right here," Percival smiled, picking
up little Jennifer Dalton. She had blond hair and blue eyes.
"Papa," Jenny said, "I'm too old to be picked
up. You should know that by that now."
Percival smiled and put her down. "Of course you are,
Jenny. I forgot that you were seven years old." He put her down.
"I have it, Mama," Benjamin said, running out of
his room.
"Thank you, Benny," Nellie said, bending down to
kiss her son as she took the angel from him. "Now you straighten up your
hat."
"Mama, Uncle David calls it a kippah," Benjamin
replied and ran back to the mirror to adjust it. "And Mama, it's Ben, not
Benny. You know that Grandma hates when you call me that. Besides, I'm not a
baby anymore."
"You're right, my little man," Nellie said, as she
placed the small angel on the tree. "Come on, let's go. Can't keep Grandma
and your Aunt Naomi waiting."
It was the first night of Chanukah and the menorah was on
the table. There were dreidels on the floor and presents piled high in the
other room. Edna and her eldest daughter, Naomi were in the kitchen frying up
the potato pancakes, or latkes, a popular dish for Chanukah. The four pound
brisket was still in the oven waiting to be sliced and potato kugel or pudding
to go with it. From the bakery were some doughnuts, challah bread and fudge.
Naomi's husband, David was sitting in the study reading when
Percival, Nellie and the twins ran down the stairs.
"Uncle David, Uncle David," Ben ran and jumped up
on David's lap, the book falling to the floor.
David smiled and hugged him from behind. "Hello,
Benjamin," he answered, picking him up and putting him down on the floor
as he stood up to greet his brother in law and his wife. Unlike Percival, David
Feldman stood six feet high and was the tallest man in the family. He took hold
of Benjamin's hand as he kissed Nellie on the cheek and pumped his brother in
law's hand.
"Ah, there you are," he said kissing his sister
and brother in law on the cheek.
"Always nice to be noticed," Nellie said, kissing
her mostly absent brother in law on the cheek. It was safe to say that she only
saw her brother and sister in law on holidays and she was glad that she did.
David had a law practice around the corner from the store. They had been
married for four years now, but no children, not yet anyway. She turned to her
husband. "I'm going to check and see if Mama needs any help."
"Can I come help too, Mama?" Jenny asked, wanting
to act grown up.
Nellie smiled and held out her hand. "Sure Jenny,
Grandma would love it."
"Is it time to light the menorah yet?" Benjamin
asked, as he picked it up from the table.
Percival smiled and bent down. "We will light the
candles soon enough, right before we eat."
"So did you have fun today?" Uncle David asked
little Ben as he placed him on his knee.
Little Benjamin nodded. "We walked over to Macy's
Department Store and looked into their windows. They are all decorated for
Christmas with trees and toys. Then we went upstairs to see Santa."
David looked at his brother in law. "Santa?"
Percival shrugged. "We're teaching the children
different things about religion. They have a right to know what’s out there;
David. Now that Papa is gone, we changed the arrangement. The children will be
allowed to choose when they grow up what religion they want to be."
"Papa says it's alright that we see Santa," Jenny
said, running from the kitchen over to join her brother. "It will give us
a sense of what Christmas is all about. She says we have the best of both
worlds, whatever that means."
She turned to her uncle. "Dinner is almost ready,"
she announced.
"It's time to light the candles," Edna called out.
There were two places to put the candle, the shamash or servant light in the
center and another on the right side of the menorah.
They watched as David adjusted his own kippah and took the
shamash from its holder in the center and, after lighting the candle, he
recited the three blessings and then used that candle to light the one on the
right.
"Do you know the Chanukah story, children?" David
asked, getting up.
"I do," Benjamin said, raising his hand as if he
were in school. "Papa says that there was a great miracle that happened
that night."
David nodded his head. "Very good, Benjamin, a great
miracle did happen. But do you know how and why?"
"He's only seven, David," Percival answered, but
Benjamin stopped him.
"I know, Papa. Judah Maccabee and his brothers fought
the Syrians for three years and drove them out of the temple. As they cleared
the temple of the Greek gods that the Jewish people were forced to worship,
they came across a small container of oil to light the eternal light. It was
only supposed to last for one day, but a miracle happened and it lasted eight
nights. That's why we light the candles, Uncle David." He smiled.
"Yes," he said, "You’re right, Benjamin. And
do you know what the letters mean on the dreidel?" He handed him a small
wooden one.
"Yes I do," Ben said, pointing to each letter as
he spun the top around. "That is a nun, a gimmel, a hey and a shin. It
means "a great miracle happened here, Uncle David."
David looked up Percival. "Did you teach him all
this?"
Percival shrugged. "He's a quick learner, David."
"Jenny, Ben," Nellie said, placing the hot food on
the table. "It's time to eat. You can play with the top later."
"Wait, one more thing," Percival said, taking two
pennies out of his pocket. He bent down and handed one to Benjamin and one to
Jennifer. "We call this Chanukah gelt or money. I will give these to you
for eight nights until the holiday is over. On the last night, you get a
surprise."
"Thank you, Papa," the twins said and hugged their
father.
"Now," Percival said, releasing them and he stood
up. "We can have that dinner now." And taking both of them by the
hand, he walked over to the table and sat down next to his wife, with his kids
on either side.
Chapter 2
When the meal was over and all the presents opened, Ben and
Jenny were playing with their little wooden dreidels on the floor. Percival and
David sat in study talking while Naomi and Nellie cleaned off the table and
washed the dishes.
Edna had just finished putting some of the serving pieces
into the big breakfront when she called the two children over.
"Benjamin, Jenny, come, look, I have something to show
the both of you." Ben looked at Jenny who shrugged her shoulders.
"Come, come," Edna called, waving her hand to come
closer. Ben nodded and stood up, with Jenny tagging along in the rear.
She was twirling a little silver dreidel in her hand. She
waited until the twins reached her before she started to speak.
"This is a very special dreidel, children," she
said, holding it up to the light. "It has been handed down in my family
from generation to generation."
Benjamin watched as the dreidel as it caught the light and
sparkled. "Can I hold it, Grandma," he asked holding out his hand,
"please?"
Edna Cohen nodded and placed in the boy's outstretched
fingers. "Here you go," she said.
"Where did it come from," Jenny asked. "Does
anyone know?"
Edna shook her head. "No one seems to know, Jenny, but
there is talk that it is very old."
Benjamin twirled it around in his hand. He had never seen
anything more beautiful. "Can I play with it?" he asked, but his
grandmother shook her head.
"No Benjamin, not now. But it will be yours soon enough
and then you may decide what you want to do with it."
She held out her hand and Ben placed it in her palm. She put
it back into the breakfront and closed the door.
"Ben, Jenny," the two children turned around at
the sound of their mother's voice. "I want the two of you to go upstairs
and play quietly in your rooms. Your father and I will follow very soon."
Benjamin and Jenny nodded. "Come on, you two"
Nellie said, as the twins found their way upstairs.
Ben tried to sleep, but found that he couldn't. He kept
thinking about the silver dreidel and how it had sparkled when Edna held it up
to the light. It was so beautiful that he wanted to get another look at it. So
he lit the candle in the holder by his bed and crept quietly downstairs. He
placed the candle holder down on the on a small table and opened up the
breakfront doors. It was easy for him to grab; Grandma had placed in on the
first shelf, which was about his height.
He pulled it out and twirled it on his palm, looking at the
intricate metalwork. The letters really seemed to stand out as it caught and
held the light.
He heard what sounded like a door closing and ran, with the
dreidel still in his hand, upstairs to his room. He placed it on the bed next
to him, promising to himself that he would wake up early and put it back before
it was missed.
Except that when Benjamin woke Monday morning, the dreidel
was missing. It was as if it had vanished into thin air.
In a panic, Benjamin searched the bed, tearing away the
sheets. How long was it going to be before his grandmother would find it
missing?
"Benjamin," Nellie called, "come on, eat your
breakfast. Your sister's down here already. You're going to be late for
school."
The last thing that Ben wanted was to go to school. He
wanted to stay home and look for that dreidel. He wanted to find it before
someone else did. He wanted to put it back in the breakfront before Grandma noticed
that it was gone.
"Benjamin?" Nellie called again, when he didn't
answer.
"I'll be down in a minute, Mama," he said, as he
hurried into his school clothes.
All day long, he thought about nothing else than that
beautiful silver dreidel. He couldn't concentrate on his studies and he was
unusually quiet all day. He could hardly wait until he got home so he could
look for it again.
But the dreidel never turned up. The funny thing was that
everyone had seemed to forget about it. No one even noticed that it was gone,
not even Edna. It was as if it had never existed.
Chapter 3
It was the seventh and last night of Chanukah. Benjamin
couldn't believe how quiet the entire week was. No one even noticed that the
dreidel was missing; in fact, he was beginning to wonder if it all was a dream
and it never really happened in the first place.
But he knew that it was missing because there was an empty
spot in the dreidel's old place in the breakfront. In fact, he was sure of it.
Upset and tired, he climbed into bed. He hadn't told anyone
what had happened and he was it was just as well.
He had just stretched out under the covers when he felt
something by his left foot, something cold and pointy. He jumped out of bed and
tore apart the blanket and sheets again; only he shook them, which he hadn't
done the first time. He heard something heavy hit the floor and reached down to
pick it up. Sure enough, there was the beautiful silver dreidel. It had been in
tangled in the bed sheets all along. It was a miracle that he had found it and
on the last night of Chanukah.
Quickly, he ran down to the breakfront, opened it, and put
it back in its proper place, hoping that no one had noticed it had been missing
the entire week.
Now he was looking forward to receiving his surprise from
his father at Sunday breakfast this morning.
David and Naomi were spending the weekend at the brownstone
to help out on the last morning of the holiday. There was a special breakfast
planned with bagels and whitefish and homemade cream cheese.
"You do remember when we had this the first time?"
Percival whispered in her ear as she put down the little bowl full of whipped
cream cheese.
Nellie nodded. "It was breakfast after Yom Kippur. I
just looked at it and said "You always eat this stuff?" She looked up
at her husband who was smiling. His glasses were sliding down his nose and use
his finger to slide them up again.
"We never had any of this stuff in Walnut Grove,"
she said, smiling up at him, "but it sure makes a nice change."
Percival smiled and kissed his wife on the lips. "Let's
call the kids in."
"I think they're both still asleep," Nellie said.
"By the way, Benjamin's been acting strange the entire week and he won't
tell me anything."
"Do you think he'll talk to me?" Percival asked.
Nellie shrugged. "I don’t see why not? You two always
talk to each other."
On his way upstairs, Percival passed by the breakfront and
couldn't help but notice that the shiny silver dreidel had been returned to its
proper place.
Now how did that get back there, he thought as his eyes got
lost in that sparkle. Hadn't he done the same thing as a kid?
He could still remember his mother calling him over to her
and showing him the dreidel. It has fascinated him so much that he had come
downstairs that first night of Chanukah and took it back to bed with him. It
had gotten lost for a whole week, but Percival finally found it on the eighth
day. It has been buried under the covers, but he had to shake them before it
finally fell on the floor. He had run down the stairs to return it to its
proper place before anyone in the house had ever found that it was missing. But
his mother knew all along where it had been, he had seen that twinkle in her
eye. She had just never said anything.
"Papa, Papa, we're here," the two of them called,
running down the stairs meeting his father halfway.
"I was just on my way upstairs to wake you two
up," Percival said, bending down to hug them. "Come on, I have your
surprises right here."
He stood up taking the two of them by the hand and walked over
the table.
"The time has come to give you your surprises," he
said, handing them each a piggy bank to place the eight cents in. This will
teach you the value of money and how to hold onto it." He held up two
small rectangular shaped boxes. "And these are from you grandmother. These
will help you keep track of all your expenses, how much you earn and how much
you save."
Jenny and Ben opened up the rectangular boxes and there
inside was a beautiful fountain pen.
"Papa," they both cried in unison and ran over to
hug him. "Say thank you to your grandmother, too," Percival said,
release them. "Now go, we have a special breakfast prepared and it's
getting late."
"Grandma, Grandma," they called out and ran over
to her. She was sitting in her favorite chair by the fireplace, knitting. They
thanked her over and over for their beautiful present. She showered them with
kisses until Nellie called them over. "Jenny, Benjamin, come on, it's time
to eat. Everything is ready."
"Benjamin," Edna called, "Can you stay here a
minute? I need to talk to you about something important."
"Uh oh," Benjamin sighed and rushed back.
"Yes Grandma," he asked.
"I see that the silver dreidel is back," Edna
said, knitting another scarf. I couldn't imagine where it had gotten off to,
but now that it's back, I just hope that it doesn't disappear again."
Benjamin's smile widened and hugged her. "It won't,
Grandma. It won't ever disappear from the breakfront again."
"Benjamin," he heard his mother call again.
"Coming, Mama," he said, breaking from his grandmother. He began to
run over, but something made him turn around. And there was his grandmother
looking straight at him, with a little twinkle in her eye.
