I was making sure that I had enough potatoes for the latkes that I’ll make for Hanukkah, and then the doorbell rang. It was my neighbor’s daughter Margaret, who had just gotten home from elementary school. She was just stopping by, as she does now and then. I made some hot cocoa for us, and we sat down in the living room next to my dreidels and a menorah.
“I know about Jewish Hanukkah,” Margaret delighted in saying, “At Sunday School, our pastor told us all about it.”
“Really? What do you know?
“Well,” Margaret recited, “the dreidels are tops and you make a game with them. The menorah is for candles that you light. And the food is fried potato pancakes. What do you call them?”
“Latkes,” I replied, “I didn’t know your Sunday School would teach y’all about our holiday.”
“Our pastor knows a lot about other religions, and he told us that Jesus even went to a Hanukkah celebration.”
“Jesus celebrated Hanukkah? I didn’t know.”
“It’s in the Bible somewhere. He was walking around in the big Temple when it was Hanukkah one year.”
“I guess that makes sense because Jesus was Jewish. So, tell me, Margaret, what do you think — would Jesus celebrate Hanukkah now? I mean, as y’all say, what would Jesus do, you know, now in 2022?”
“Hmm, I’m going to have to ask about that, but I’ll just guess. Jesus would probably spin a dreidel and might even eat some of those pancakes.”