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There are numerous occasions to celebrate this holiday season with friends, family and colleagues. Among them? Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish “Festival of Lights.”
Central to the festival is the nightly lighting of the menorah. The menorah holds nine flames, one of which is used to ignite the other eight lights. On the first night, one flame is lit. On the second night, two.
By the eighth night, all of the menorah lights are glowing; prayers and blessings are shared.
Polly recently shared her family’s traditions during this month as well as her experiences finding the “perfect” work-life balance.
Q. Thanks for agreeing to talk with us!
A. Of course! And, happy holidays to all WLD division members!
Q. First, this is a crazy month. Which may cause us to lose sight of the true reasons for our different cultural celebrations. How do you stay focused on Hanukkah’s meaning despite all the hustle and bustle?
A. It’s not easy! There never seems to be enough time to get everything done. But here’s what’s important to me. Every night of Hanukkah, no matter how busy we all are, we light the menorah together. We also get together with a few other families for a Hanukkah party where the kids play dreidel and make latkes. Recently, my twins and I have enjoyed attending the Community Menorah Candle Lighting at the Jewish Community Campus with our congregation.
Q. What other Hannukah traditions are important to you?
A. Charity and volunteering are something my parents instilled in my siblings and me during Hanukkah. Growing up, we picked a charity that was meaningful to my sisters, brother, and me. In lieu of a present for one night of Hanukkah, my parents made a donation to that charity. We then spent time learning about the charity and volunteering our time. My kids are continuing that tradition.
Q. What’s the month of December like for you?
A. My husband is Christian, I’m Jewish, so my family is interfaith. December is a sea of blue/white and red/green gift wrap for me. We celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas and while sometimes the two holidays overlap, we celebrate each holiday very specifically. For instance, you won’t find any menorahs or Star of David ornaments on our Christmas tree. Likewise, we don’t serve latkes for Christmas brunch. his year the holidays will overlap so we will do our Christmas traditions, tuck those in, and focus on Hanukkah, and vice versa.
Q. When you leave your court chambers, who/what is waiting for you at home?
A. Waiting for me when I get home are my husband, 8 year old boy/girl twins, my 12 year old stepson (on some nights), our dog Walter, and our cat Karen. Weeknights are a balancing act of running the kids to their various activities/sporting events, getting homework done, dinner, etc. My favorite place after the kids are tucked in is in front of the fireplace or catching up with one of my friends.
Q. With your work, that sounds like a lot to balance. Do you have a secret?
A. I think working parents are all struggling with this in our own way, especially when we love what we do for a living or are competitively driven. Recently one of my kids drew a picture of me with my laptop. I realized that was how they had become accustomed to seeing me and I made a conscious decision to change that. I converted my old home office into a new space and now seldom work at home when I have the opportunity to spend time with my family. I also make sure to give myself daily attention. That typically happens in the early morning when I work out, meditate, and organize my day. It would be deceptive to claim that I could tackle everything without help. It truly takes a village…
Happy Holidays to all!
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