1. By Eileen GoltzIt was the first night of Chanukah and the night before Ellie's last final.

2. We recognize that Chanukah is an important holiday, which often coincides with Christmas, though unfortunately not this year.

3. The most obvious example is Judaism's Chanukah , which in the 20th century has evolved a similar tradition of family gift-giving.

4. It was the first night of Chanukah and the night before Ellie's last final.

5. Mainly because, as a child, I was too preoccupied with Chanukah to care what my gentile friends were doing.

6. Susan said that it was just too painful to even think about Chanukah without Hannah and she had decided on skipping the entire holiday.

7. It seemed that Susan had been facing the same dilemma that Ellie had been that first night of Chanukah.

8. She'd packed every thing she needed to take home except the books she was cramming with and her menorah, the 8 branch candelabra that's lit every night of Chanukah.