Like most Jewish holidays, Hanukkah is about a lot of things, all of which are open to interpretation. At its core, the story is about a group of people who were afraid of losing their identity to a dominant group. They fought back and miracle of miracles, they won.
Everything else is a detail, and we can argue about those later.
Avital's and other small, handmade businesses are a lot like that small group fighting back. If we went along with the flow, we would be outsourcing our production to a cheap co-packer, maybe even offshore. We would look for the cheapest packaging, not the most Earth-friendly. We would be cutting corners on ingredients and hoping no one noticed or cared.
Well, we care--a lot! We love and use everything we make. All of it is made by hand from ingredients we thoughtfully source. Every one of us in the workshop is a "doer," a woman who gets things done, whether at work, at play, or with our families. We love the creative aspect of what we do and also the practicality of it.
Everything we make is useful, which is a joy in itself. You aren't meant to put a beautiful bar of our soap out for guests who never come.
You're meant to use it.
Use it up! When there's a sliver left, toss it in a Soap Net and keep using it.
There is a real joy in having things that are both beautiful and useful. It elevates life, maybe in a small way, but those small joys add up.
Happy Hanukkah. I hope all your joys, small and large, add up to a wonderful holiday season.
--Lesli