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“Did you do anything this weekend?” Mike asked at lunch. It was a Monday in December, so it wasn’t like there was much to do besides play in the snow or stay inside.
Will finished chewing his sandwich and said, “Last night was the first night of Hanukkah so my mom and dad and Jonathan and I all celebrated that.”
“Hanukkah?” Mike asked, frowning in confusion, “What’s that?”
Will paused. His mom had told him about this, how most people celebrated Christmas in the wintertime. But because they were Jewish, they celebrated Hanukkah instead. His mom had also warned him that most kids believed Santa delivered their presents, and that if they asked, he should just pretend it was true. Will had pulled a face at that, but it had never come up before. He was hoping that Mike wasn’t going to make him lie.
“It’s the festival of lights,” Will repeated, remembering his mom’s explanation, “It’s what we celebrate in the winter months, instead of Christmas.”
Mike looked surprised. “You don’t celebrate Christmas?” Will shook his head. Mike continued, “What about Santa?”
Will shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. “He doesn’t visit me, but we all exchange gifts during Hanukkah. It’s 8 nights, so I usually get a present every night.”
“Wait, you get 8 nights of presents? I’m so jealous!” Mike exclaimed. Will laughed. He guessed it was kinda nice, but he also knew that Mike got a ton of presents on Christmas. Last year he’d shown Will everything he’d gotten, and it was a lot more than Will had gotten. But Will wasn’t going to point that out.
Instead, Will nodded along, taking a bite of his lunch and getting an idea. “It’s a lot of fun. You should come over tonight and celebrate with us!”
“Really?”
“Yeah! I’m sure my parents won’t mind.”
“Okay!” Mike said, his enthusiasm infectious. Will was smiling too. He was really excited to show his friend their traditions.
They had both gone their separate ways after school, needing to ask their parents for permission. Will’s mom and dad had agreed, although his dad was busy and wasn’t going to be joining them. Will tried not to be too upset about that. He was still excited Mike was coming over.
Mike’s mom had also agreed, but said that he wasn’t allowed to stay the night because they had school the next day. Will was sad about that, but he wasn’t surprised. Mike’s parents never let them have sleepovers on weeknights.
It was just getting dark when Mike arrived. Will jumped up as soon as he heard the doorbell ring. He’d been sitting in the living room, reading a comic book, just waiting for Mike to get there.
He opened up the door, excited to see his friend waiting on the other side. “Hi!” Mike greeted, walking inside. They’d been to each other’s houses so many times in the year they’d been friends that Mike knew the layout as well as his own.
“Is that Mike?” Will’s mom called out from the kitchen.
“Yeah!”
“Mike, honey, it’s wonderful to see you,” she said, rushing out from the kitchen where she’d been finishing up the latkes. Will couldn’t wait to eat them. It was one of his favorite parts of the holiday.
Mike waved at her. “Thanks for having me, Ms. Byers,” he said, always polite.
“Are you boys ready to light the candles?” she asked. They both nodded, and Jonathan joined them from where he’d been in his room, listening to music.
Will had explained a lot of it to Mike earlier, but he was excited for Mike to actually see it.
They all gathered around the mantle and watched as his mom lit the candles. Will, Jonathan, and their mom sang the prayers while Mike just watched.
Once they were finished, they all stood for a moment, admiring the candles. “This is a lot more fun than midnight mass,” Mike said, breaking the silence. Will laughed. He had never been, but last year Mike had told him how long and boring it was. He could appreciate the simpler holidays, especially when it meant he wasn’t stuck in a church for hours.
They moved into the kitchen next, where his mom dished out latkes for everyone. When she offered Mike both sour cream and applesauce, he just made a face and chose to eat his plain. Will and Jonathan both sighed, having hoped that Mike would be on their side in their ongoing debate.
Over their food, his mom regaled them all with the tale of the maccabees and the oil that lasted 8 days and nights. Will and Jonathan had both heard this before, but Mike listened with rapt attention.
“That’s so cool!” he said, once the story was finished. Will nodded in agreement. The maccabees were really cool. He was glad that Mike didn’t think this was weird. He knew that his family was different, but Mike never seemed to care. That’s why they were such good friends.
After all of the latkes were eaten, Will showed Mike how to play with a dreidel. It took him a few tries, but he figured out how to spin it quickly enough. They took turns spinning it and eating as much gelt as they could.
Unfortunately, they were interrupted by Mike’s mom showing up to pick him up. Will pouted at the fact that Mike had to go home. They were having such a good time!
As they both walked to the door, led by their mothers, Mike said, “Thanks for inviting me over. This was a lot of fun!”
“I’m glad you liked it,” Will replied, meaning it.
Mike rushed over, wrapping Will in a hug. Will returned the hug, squeezing his friend tight. They pulled away, and Mike darted outside to join his mom in the car. “See you tomorrow!” he called out before climbing in and driving away.
Shutting the door behind them, his mom declared, “I’m glad Mike came over. He’s a good kid.”
Will nodded. Mike was such a good friend.