Purim Lite

Purim starts Thursday evening. Hint: if you wished people a Happy Chanukkah this year, you probably also want to wish them a happy Purim because this holiday is on par—importance-wise—with Chanukkah. Meaning, it’s a minor, not-super-important holiday. But I love this one and I don’t love Chanukkah, so we normally celebrate Purim big and Chanukkah very small.

When I say that we celebrate Purim big, we celebrate it as big as Christian people do Christmas. I have a separate freezer just for storing baked goods because I have to begin baking several weeks early in order to make gift packages for everyone. Our family always does a theme for our packages. When the kids were little, we did elaborate, hand-made costumes. We always go to a megillah reading and carnival.

Because the Hebrew calendar shifts within the world calendar, last year, we were able to deliver our packages and have a slightly more subdued Purim at the start of the pandemic. This year, we opted to send See’s candy to a few family members so the holiday wouldn’t go unmarked. No theme. No costumes. Zoom megillah reading.

It feels weirdly empty to not have Purim prep beyond a single tray of hamantaschen and chocolate chip cookies for inside the house. We’ve passed through much bigger holidays between last Purim and now; some that require just as much prep work and attention. But this one is the one I’m feeling. It’s a happy holiday, and it’s hard to do it happy over Zoom.

Maybe next year.