Rosh Hashanah Round Up

This year Josh and I did something a little different for Rosh Hashanah. Since the holiday is celebrated over 2 days, we decided to split up the days, one with my family and one with his. I have to say, I was a little skeptical since it made for a lot of long days, but actually, it worked out pretty well.

We started our multi-state extravaganza at my parent's house for dinner on Wednesday night. We were joined by my cousins and 2 families who are great friends of ours. As always, my mom put on a perfect dinner. She made everyone's favorite dishes, created a wonderful atmosphere, and was the kind of hostess I hope to one day be. There was just something about 16 people around table, eating delicious food, talking and laughing, and reminiscing about old memories while making new ones that just made it seem like the holidays. It was a pretty awesome night.

The next morning, Josh and I joined my parents for services in the temple I grew up in. It was great to see old friends, many with their new spouses and children. Sharing this experience with Josh was part of why we decided to spend one day in Massachusetts and one day in New York. As we navigate our way through married life and try to make our own path, it is important for us to know and understand where the other came from. Only when we both appreciate and see how the other was raised, where our values come from, and why we practice our religion the way we do, can we start to carve out how our family will move forward. Religion is a big part of our lives, but finding a common ground and figuring out where we want to go from here is important to us. Which is why, after services with my parents, we drove to New York to spend the second day with Josh's family.

We arrived just in time for dinner and enjoyed a nice family dinner with Josh's parents and sister. Although we were exhausted, it was nice to have some time with them and to catch up. The next morning we got up early to go to the synagogue that Josh grew up in. It was great to see the difference in the two services, connect with many of Josh's family friends, and receive an honor of lifting and dressing the Torah. After services were over, we enjoyed another delicious meal, took a short nap, had Shabbat dinner, and hung out with Josh's sister and her boyfriend. It was a great weekend and we were really happy we were able to do it.

I'm not sure that splitting the holidays like we did this year will be possible every year, but it was nice to be able to spend time with both sides of our family. It also gave us a chance to see how the other celebrates Rosh Hashanah and talk about how, from here, we want to celebrate in the future. As great as this weekend was, I think I can speak for Josh when I say we are happy to be in town next weekend for Yom Kippur.