Pauly had come to visit the dolls who lived with The Writer every day this week to watch Charlotte and Emil light the menorah for Hanukkah.
Each day, they would get out the menorah while it was still daylight, so they would be ready. They needed candles and matches. The Writer had to come and watch, because matches have to be used very carefully. They started on Sunday.
At sunset they would start. On Sunday they lit one candle and used that one to light one more.
Pauly had never seen anyone light a menorah before...until Sunday. (Actually, Pauly had never seen a doll light a candle before! Have you?)
Then Emil told a story to the others. It was a story about a miracle that happened long ago. It explained why they light the candles every year.The other dolls knew the story by now, but they liked to hear it again. Then Emil and Charlotte said some words in another language. They said it was a prayer.
The dolls do this every year, but it doesn't always happen the same time as Christmas. It's a special celebration that moves around. Pauly remembered it had something to do with calendars and the moon. Mariah said it was like Ramadan (RAH-muh-dahn), which she celebrates, because that is a different time each year. This year Hanukkah starts week before Christmas Day.
Anyway, the next night, it was Charlotte's turn to light the menorah. She used the candle in the middle to light two candles. Each night they added another candle.
The dolls were very busy this week, and Pauly liked that he could watch and sometimes help. Jolena was baking.
Mandy and Veronika were finishing wrapping packages in the workroom. They would go under the tree in the living room.
When Jolena had all the baking and cooking done for the week, she cleaned up the kitchen, but she said she didn't need help.
Pippa and Pauly watched a holiday movie on the iPad while Jolena did the dishes. Santa was in it.
On another day, Billy read a Christmas story to Pippa and Pauly. They are all good readers, but it's fun to read something together, then talk about the story and the pictures.
On Christmas Eve, the dolls gave Pauly a present. It was a dreidel (DRAY-dul), which is a special kind of top (a toy that spins).
"It's for a game," Emil told him. "We play it for Hanukkah."
"Games are fun," Pauly said excitedly, "and I've never had a present before!"
"That's right!" Pippa exclaimed. "You haven't even had a birthday yet. Just wait. You'll get lots of presents, and maybe have a party."
The four of them played the dreidel game for a while. They each had a dreidel to use.
The dolls were also following Santa's trip on the website for NORAD, which keeps track of where he is all the time on Christmas Eve. Every so often, the dolls would go and check to see where Santa was on his trip.
They do this every year, but Pauly had never seen it before, of course, because this was his first Christmas.
It was a long time until bedtime, but Santa was already on his way, because there were parts of the world where it was already the middle of the night. Billy explained this to Pauly.
He told Pauly how the earth is like a ball, and day changes into night as the earth rotates, gradually turning so the sun's light on each place on the earth changes. It makes it appear as if the sun is moving across the sky and going down, when really, the place where we are is just turning away from the sun.
"Like how a dreidel spins?" Pauly asked. "Is rotate the same as spins?"
"Yes," Billy agreed. "How the earth rotates is a lot like a dreidel, only it seems slower, because the earth is so big."
They kept checking to see where Santa was. Pauly thought about how Santa was spending the whole time in the dark, delivering presents.
When the sun was getting very low in the sky, and they needed the lights, they went to look again. The dolls pointed out to Pauly where Santa was, and where they were, and Santa was getting closer.
Soon it would be time for Pauly to go home. Jeffy was going to pick him up, so he couldn't stay long enough to watch Emil light the seventh candle. Maybe next year, Pauly could stay long enough to watch each night. Hanukkah wouldn't be the same week as Christmas next year. Charlotte had told him it would be earlier in December.
While they waited for Jeffy, the dolls sat on the couch in the living room. They told Pauly all about their favorite presents for Christmas. Pippa's favorite present was her own tiny copy of Alice in Wonderland.
Billy told Pauly about his first Christmas, and the sled Santa brought him.
While they were talking about Christmas presents, the doorbell rang. The dolls heard voices in the front hall.
"It's Jeffy!" Pauly exclaimed. "He's here!"
Pauly was ready to leave, but Mariah appeared in the door that leads to the kitchen.
"The Writer has invited Jeffy to have some hot chocolate and cookies before he takes you home," she told them, "so you have a few more minutes."
Tomorrow was going to be Pauly's first Christmas! When Jeffy was ready to take Pauly home, Pauly stopped to look at the tree. His family had a tree in the living room, too. The decorations were a little different, but it was the same kind of thing, with presents underneath.
Jeffy was taking Pauly to visit his grandparents tomorrow, but the dolls promised to take pictures of Charlotte and Emil lighting the last candle on the menorah on Christmas night.
Pauly liked to think of the dolls standing around the table with all the candles lit.
Happy Hanukkah and merry Christmas from all the dolls!
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.
Copyright © 2022, 2024 by Peggy Stuart
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