Holiday Baking Championship - General Discussion

[Spunkygal]

19 minutes ago, trudysmom said:

Where in East Texas, RoxiP?  I grew up near Canton, home of the World Famous First Monday Trade Days!  Still have family in the area.

I have family in Jacksonville!

[starlightlost]

I honestly think Adam has this whole season in the bag.

[MerBearHou]

4 minutes ago, starlightlost said:

I honestly think Adam has this whole season in the bag.

I would be fine with that.  He’s a delightful baker both personally (at least from the vibe we get on the show) and talent-wise — he is so creative and steady.  

[Grizzly]

I love the color Carla is wearing. It borders on looking like a pajama top but that green is so striking on her. And her hair is in a nice style. 

The Hanukkah challenge seemed to throw nearly everyone. Maybe do some research when going on a Holiday show. In the second round, not to sound like Nancy but the decorations did not seem holidayish. Adam is killing it.

Edited November 30, 2021 by Grizzly
Spelling

[Catfi9ht]

I felt Sabrina should have won instead of Adam.

While I like both Adam and Jody and think they're really talented, I feel like the show is trying too hard to push for a showdown between the two of them. While I am completely aware that reality tv always tries to push some type of agenda or story line, I hate it when they're so overt that it's almost insulting to the audience.

Neomi has been in the bottom almost every episode, it was time for her to go. I'm enjoying every contestant this season. It seems like a supportive group.

 

 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Catfi9ht
Typo

[kathyk24]

2 minutes ago, Catfi9ht said:

I felt Sabrina should have won instead of Adam.

While I like both Adam and Jody and think they're really talented, I feel like the show is trying too hard to push for a showdown between the two of them. While I am completely aware that reality tv always tries to push some type of agenda or story line, I hate it when they're so overt that it's almost insulting to the audience.

Neomi has been in the bottom almost every episode, it was time for her to go. I'm enjoying pretty every contestant this season. It seems like a supportive group.

 

 

I'm team Jody but I appreciate how helpful everyone is.

[Guest]

15 minutes ago, Catfi9ht said:

I felt Sabrina should have won instead of Adam.

Sabrina seemed to agree with you 😆

I do too, if only to mix things up a little bit (plus I thought her eggnog rim decoration was super cute). It's always a bummer when someone dominates, because it either makes their win seem like a foregone conclusion and a little boring, or if they win all season and then lose in the finale, it's anticlimactic and makes the actual winner feel undeserved, unfair as that is. I like it better when the wins are spread out a bit more throughout the season.

[CheshireCat]

As of today, I'm rooting against Adam. Call me cynical but I don't believe for a single second that he picked Fruit Cake because it's the most challenging. I'd say a Creme Brulee is more challenging; lots can go wrong there. But it's well known that Fruit Cake is typically British and it was likely something Jody would do well with.
I also don't like people who are good and let the world know that they know it; there's confidence and there's being full of yourself and to me, he comes across as the latter.

Uh, so he makes a pound cake, puts (dried) fruit on top, calls it a Fruit Cake and wins? I'm sorry, but that was not a Fruit Cake, that was a pound cake with dried fruit on top. It did look pretty but so did other cakes/desserts.

The snowflakes on his first cake looked a little bit like he ran out of time.

Overall, I'm not sure why the judges love him so much. His decorating is not leaps and bounds better than anyone elses and according to the judges, others have great tasting cakes as well. I thought Sabrina was much better this week. Her first cake was beautiful and the wax drip was spot-on and the whoopie pies were cute. At the very least, one should have won the first round and the other the second.

I found it a bit too much of a coincidence that the guy from Ireland just happens to get the Fruit Cake in the very episode in which his seemingly biggest rival is allowed to choose which dessert he wants.

Gingerbread cake is a dry cake. As far as I know, it's all the spices that makes it a drier cake. Not sure what Nancy expected.
It looked like they were trying very hard to make Jody have a bad week but he seems to have made it very difficult for them.

Why was Jody surprised he was safe? He was safe anyway.

 

[emmawoodhouse]

I'm glad I am not the only one who thinks Adam comes off as a smarmy know-it-all. I am not charmed by him at all. I hope Jody pips him in the inevitable end. 

Edited November 30, 2021 by emmawoodhouse
Apparently autofill does not think pip is a word.

[kathyk24]

5 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I'm glad I am not the only one who thinks Adam comes off as a smarmy know-it-all. I am not charmed by him at all. I hope Jody pips him in the inevitable end. 

I think Adam tried to sandbag Jody. Jody shouldn't have said he was happy to get fruitcake. I thought flan was a simple dessert to avoid elimination. I also really like Marilyn she might win.

[CrazyDog]

I like everyone except eye rolling Jose, and Jose's attitude. He seems over the competition anyway.

I don't see anything that Adam has done that makes him seem any worse than Jody or the other contestants. He and Jody are definitely leading the pack, but I think Sabrina is great too. I'd be surprised if they aren't in the finals, but weird things happen.

If anything, I thought Jody seemed like the cocky one at the beginning of the season, but he seems to have lightened up.

Jody had immunity, right, so its not like he was impacted in any meaningful way, and many contestants opt to switch or steal when they win an advantage. 

That being said, Sabrina's dessert looked fantastic. I would not have minded her getting the win.

[LittleIggy]

1 hour ago, kathyk24 said:

I think Adam tried to sandbag Jody. Jody shouldn't have said he was happy to get fruitcake. I thought flan was a simple dessert to avoid elimination. I also really like Marilyn she might win.

I knew Jody had effed up when he expressed his delight at getting fruit cake. Keeping a poker face is important at times on this show. Had Jody never heard the Hanukkah story before? Seriously? BTW, I love banana pudding and bread pudding. 😋

I don’t care for Adam either.

[mlp]

I didn't have any problem with Adam taking the fruitcake from Jody.  It's a competition.  What did surprise me was his dessert passing as a fruitcake which it clearly wasn't although they were told to use what they got as inspiration so maybe it didn't have to be.  

The only one of the remaining bakers I don't like is Sabrina so I was glad she didn't win.  She seems to have a bit of an attitude.

I like Marilyn a lot but she's had more mistakes than anyone I think.  I doubt she'll make it to the finale.

[HyeChaps]

Neomi should have gone last week.  Maybe they wanted to keep her on for the Hannukkah challenge so she could redeem herself.

[CheshireCat]

5 hours ago, mlp said:

I didn't have any problem with Adam taking the fruitcake from Jody.  It's a competition.  What did surprise me was his dessert passing as a fruitcake which it clearly wasn't although they were told to use what they got as inspiration so maybe it didn't have to be. 

I thought the task wasn't entirely clear; did they have to make the dessert but with sort of a twist - like the croissant bread pudding - or did they have to make a dessert based on the dessert they got - like the banana pudding that wasn't a banana pudding or the fruit cake that wasn't a fruit cake? If it's the latter, then that doesn't really fit with having to make dreaded desserts because if you change it up then you don't really make that dreaded dessert, you'd just use the ingredients and create a new one.

Some were weird - I get why creme brulee was on the list and I think fruit cake, banana pudding and bread pudding aren't to everyone's taste but why were sugar cookies and whoopie pies on the list? And who makes gingerbread for dessert?

On a shallow note, I thought Carla looked great in tonight's episode.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Gingerbread cake is a dry cake. As far as I know, it's all the spices that makes it a drier cake. Not sure what Nancy expected.

 

18 minutes ago, CheshireCat said:

And who makes gingerbread for dessert?

My mom, for one, makes gingerbread for dessert at Thanksgiving, as an alternative to apple pie. It's very moist the way she does it (but don't ask me how).

[CheshireCat]

20 minutes ago, tracyscott76 said:

 

My mom, for one, makes gingerbread for dessert at Thanksgiving, as an alternative to apple pie. It's very moist the way she does it (but don't ask me how).

Does she make gingerbread or gingerbread cake? (If it's a cake and very moist, she likely either brushes it with a syrup or bakes in something that gives it moisture. Molasses might give it moisture but using it in gingerbread is an American thing, so Jody would likely not have used it).

Jody said he got gingerbread, so my mind went to the cookie and I've never heard of that being served as an actual dessert. Gingerbread cake or brownie or ice cream or cupcakes yes, just not actual gingerbread.

[Maya]

2 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

I thought the task wasn't entirely clear; did they have to make the dessert but with sort of a twist - like the croissant bread pudding - or did they have to make a dessert based on the dessert they got - like the banana pudding that wasn't a banana pudding or the fruit cake that wasn't a fruit cake? If it's the latter, then that doesn't really fit with having to make dreaded desserts because if you change it up then you don't really make that dreaded dessert, you'd just use the ingredients and create a new one.

Some were weird - I get why creme brulee was on the list and I think fruit cake, banana pudding and bread pudding aren't to everyone's taste but why were sugar cookies and whoopie pies on the list? And who makes gingerbread for dessert?

On a shallow note, I thought Carla looked great in tonight's episode.

Judging was all over the place. Naomi’s bread pudding wasn’t transformed enough, Adam’s fruit cake was too different from the original… also, all these brown and muted desserts would never have passed Nancy’s scrutiny a couple years ago… 

[Dirtybubble]

9 hours ago, CrazyDog said:

I like everyone except eye rolling Jose, and Jose's attitude. He seems over the competition anyway.

I don't see anything that Adam has done that makes him seem any worse than Jody or the other contestants. He and Jody are definitely leading the pack, but I think Sabrina is great too. I'd be surprised if they aren't in the finals, but weird things happen.

If anything, I thought Jody seemed like the cocky one at the beginning of the season, but he seems to have lightened up.

Jody had immunity, right, so its not like he was impacted in any meaningful way, and many contestants opt to switch or steal when they win an advantage. 

That being said, Sabrina's dessert looked fantastic. I would not have minded her getting the win.

Ok I thought maybe he was having an off day but yeah his attitude has really been sour IMO.  He seems to be a competent baker but enh, I'm just not really feeling him.

I too see no problem at all with Adam swapping out for fruitcake.  He's the one that won the mini challenge AND Jody had immunity to sure why not.  Adam is confident and secure in himself as a baker but I don't see cocky or smarmy with him.  He appears to be relatively polite and gets the job done.  I think he's gonna win.

I like Marilyn too but I feel she's being kept around because she's a sweet lady that the producers know the viewing audience will like.  I watch way too much reality tv and in competitions like this there is always that one person who isn't as strong as the others but they always stay on longer than they should because they are the sweet, nice ones.

[libgirl2]

I am sure Adam's cake was delicious but it wasn't what I consider fruit cake. I love fruit cake (yes, I am weird that way) and would have wanted fruit in the cake, not just around and on top. 

[Frost]

Didn't Marilyn recently get dinged for putting uncooked plums on the top of her cake?  Yet Nancy was fine with Adam's uncooked cherries?

I like Adam and Jody.  I find Marilyn's "I'm just a little old lady" act kind of wearing, but I suppose the producers encourage it.   Serena hasn't made much of an impression on me yet.  I'm still sorting out some of the bakers.

[MerBearHou]

4 hours ago, Dirtybubble said:

I too see no problem at all with Adam swapping out for fruitcake.  He's the one that won the mini challenge AND Jody had immunity to sure why not.  Adam is confident and secure in himself as a baker but I don't see cocky or smarmy with him.  He appears to be relatively polite and gets the job done.  I think he's gonna win.

I agree completely!  Also I liked that Adam thought outside of the box on the fruitcake and came up with a "fruit-cake" that was creative, beautiful and apparently tasty.  That's on Jody for acting so cheery that he received fruitcake and he's clearly a frontrunner -- taking something undesirable like fruitcake was not an immediate slam dunk for Adam -- could have gone very badly.  And those are the rules of the competition.  Jose is my least favorite by far and I hope he goes soon.  Sabrina and Richard are both delightful.  Marilyn is just sort of "there" for me.

[rlc]

I have no issue with Adam's fruitcake not being an on-the-nose fruitcake. It was fruitcake inspired, had ample fruit, and most importantly, a proper fruitcake can not be made in a day. It takes time to mature. I also have no issue with Adam taking fruitcake from Jody- Jody had immunity, so he wasn't in any danger. Jody could have done so many other things with gingerbread that would have been lighter/less dry. He could have used the flavors as inspiration for an entremet or a charlotte. I was under the impression that they were supposed to reimagine desserts, which is why Neomi was out because she just made a bread pudding. Interestingly, this was the first episode that I didn't mind Jose- perhaps it was just his false bravado that I found distasteful. I like Sabrina, but lets be honest, she made ice cream sandwiches. She didn't reinvent the wheel. 

[CrazyDog]

7 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

Sabrina and Richard are both delightful.  Marilyn is just sort of "there" for me.

Richard does seem to stay in the middle of the pack, but I agree, I love his personality. It's a pretty likeable group, all in all.

[MerBearHou]

2 minutes ago, rlc said:

I like Sabrina, but lets be honest, she made ice cream sandwiches.

As she was making those, I said out loud to no one "um, that's an ice cream sandwich".  I laughed later when the judges said the same thing so I wasn't crazy. :)

[proserpina65]

18 hours ago, MerBearHou said:

I would be fine with that.  He’s a delightful baker both personally (at least from the vibe we get on the show) and talent-wise — he is so creative and steady.  

I'd rather Jody win, but Adam would be fine, too.  Actually I don't really have a problem with any of this season's contestants, but those two definitely are above the rest, talent-wise.

Contestants with immunity usually go one of 2 ways: they either half-ass their challenges or they take a big risk that doesn't usually pay off.  I was glad to see Jody go the second route.

I've never had olive oil cake, but with the exception of the lemon-blueberry, all those flavor combinations sounded fantastic to me.

8 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Some were weird - I get why creme brulee was on the list and I think fruit cake, banana pudding and bread pudding aren't to everyone's taste but why were sugar cookies and whoopie pies on the list? And who makes gingerbread for dessert?

I hate whoopie pies, so they're definitely on my dreaded dessert list, and I'm not particularly fond of decorated sugar cookies although I wouldn't say I dread them the way I do fruitcake.  I've seen gingerbread cookies on dessert buffets at Christmas, so I guess gingerbread can be a dessert, not just a building material.

[tennisgurl]

Jodi and Adam are definitely leading the pack, although its possible that Sabrina will pull a come from behind dramatic victory, I thought she did great this week. Adam was good as always but I adored her cake in the first round. Jodi is still my favorite though, he's just delightful and he always comes up with such interesting foods. I like Naomi, but I wasn't surprised to see her go, she's been on the lower end of the judging for a few weeks now. 

I like the whole group though, they all seem to be having a ton of fun, engaging in some friendly teasing with each other while also being helpful and supportive. Except for possibly Jose, who sometimes seems a bit sour, especially compared to everyone else. 

Some of the judging seemed a bit arbitrary. Gingerbread is just dry, what were they expecting? It to be dumped in the eggnog? 

[Suzn]

1 hour ago, MerBearHou said:

I agree completely!  Also I liked that Adam thought outside of the box on the fruitcake and came up with a "fruit-cake" that was creative, beautiful and apparently tasty.  That's on Jody for acting so cheery that he received fruitcake and he's clearly a frontrunner -- taking something undesirable like fruitcake was not an immediate slam dunk for Adam -- could have gone very badly.  And those are the rules of the competition.  Jose is my least favorite by far and I hope he goes soon.  Sabrina and Richard are both delightful.  Marilyn is just sort of "there" for me.

I was hoping Adam would make a real fruit cake - it can be done!  I used to make a fruit cake with a good amount of cake surrounding the dried fruits.  I made a spicy, fruity batter with jam and soaked the fruit in a little hot water before adding to the batter.  Fruit cake has an underserved bad reputation.  I can't be the only person who eats it and enjoys it!

[CheshireCat]

6 hours ago, Dirtybubble said:

I too see no problem at all with Adam swapping out for fruitcake. 

My issue wasn't the swapping, it was that he claimed he chose the fruit cake because it was the most challenging as I'm pretty sure it wasn't. (From a technical point of view, a creme brulee includes a custard that you can overcook and a sugar top that is so, so easily burned because sugar burns so quickly whereas the fruit cake is mostly simply not to everyone's taste). So, in other words, I don't think he was honest about why he took it and that bothers me.

If he'd said (in an easy way) that he thought that Jody might do too well and he wanted to make the competition more interesting, I would have preferred that.

 

2 hours ago, rlc said:

 Interestingly, this was the first episode that I didn't mind Jose- perhaps it was just his false bravado that I found distasteful. I like Sabrina, but lets be honest, she made ice cream sandwiches. She didn't reinvent the wheel. 

I think one can argue that Adam's or Jody's weren't all that original either. One made a pound cake, the other a cake with gingerbread spice in it.

From the reimagining point of view, I think Marilyn probably had the best one even if it wasn't the most pretty one.

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

I've seen gingerbread cookies on dessert buffets at Christmas, so I guess gingerbread can be a dessert, not just a building material.

Interesting about the dessert buffet. I make gingerbread as cookies myself but it may simply be a cultural thing as we tend to eat cookies in the afternoon (with tea or coffee) in Germany and not really as dessert :-)

[rlc]

2 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

My issue wasn't the swapping, it was that he claimed he chose the fruit cake because it was the most challenging as I'm pretty sure it wasn't. (From a technical point of view, a creme brulee includes a custard that you can overcook and a sugar top that is so, so easily burned because sugar burns so quickly whereas the fruit cake is mostly simply not to everyone's taste). So, in other words, I don't think he was honest about why he took it and that bothers me.

If he'd said (in an easy way) that he thought that Jody might do too well and he wanted to make the competition more interesting, I would have preferred that.

Interesting- I interpreted the situation completely differently. I thought that Adam viewed fruitcake as the biggest challenge because people don't like fruitcake, not because it was technically the most challenging.

Edited December 1, 2021 by rlc

[mojoween]

I laughed when Adam said Jody could put ginger on a plate and call it a day.  I’m glad Jody didn’t, but I am worried the judges said both of his cakes were dry.

If the final is two, I’m hoping for Adam and Jody; if it’s three, then Sabrina too.

[LittleIggy]

Years ago my mother used to make gingerbread from a mix. It had a cake-like consistency and was delish.

[Maya]

I could have sworn that at the beginning of the challenge, Jesse said “make your best version of” the dessert. Not “reimagine the dessert.” I’m not going to go back and check, but I remember thinking, that’s a good challenge! Simply test them on their baking skills (for once!)

[CheshireCat]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

If the final is two, I’m hoping for Adam and Jody; if it’s three, then Sabrina too.

Isn't it always three, sometimes with two who have a bake-off to determine who will be the third finalist baker?

Unless I'm forgetting someone, or any of the other bakers has a really bad day, I think Marilyn will be the next to go. She's good but she doesn't stand out.

[MerBearHou]

38 minutes ago, CheshireCat said:

Isn't it always three, sometimes with two who have a bake-off to determine who will be the third finalist baker?

Unless I'm forgetting someone, or any of the other bakers has a really bad day, I think Marilyn will be the next to go. She's good but she doesn't stand out.

I’d so much rather Jose go before Marilyn.  

[Spunkygal]

15 minutes ago, MerBearHou said:

I’d so much rather Jose go before Marilyn.  

Me too! I like Marilyn but she needs to seriously up her decorating game.

[kirklandia]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Years ago my mother used to make gingerbread from a mix. It had a cake-like consistency and was delish.

I was thinking the same thing – my mom made a really tasty gingerbread/cake dessert.  Plus it had a topping that was lemony and yummy. It had to have been from a mix, she never made dessert from scratch!

There are some other desserts from midcentury mixes that were in Mom's repertoire.
Pudding cake, Boston cream pie, pineapple upside-down cake.

[proserpina65]

16 hours ago, CheshireCat said:

Interesting about the dessert buffet. I make gingerbread as cookies myself but it may simply be a cultural thing as we tend to eat cookies in the afternoon (with tea or coffee) in Germany and not really as dessert :-)

That might be it.  Cookies are definitely a dessert item here in the US, as well as a snack item all day long.

[RoxiP]

On 11/26/2021 at 7:15 AM, trudysmom said:

Where in East Texas, RoxiP?  I grew up near Canton, home of the World Famous First Monday Trade Days!  Still have family in the area.

Both of my parents grew up in Jefferson and I spent holidays with both sets of grandparents there (and still own a farm there).  Canton is about an hour's east of where I live now and yet oddly enough I have never been to First Monday.

[RoxiP]

Jose is my least favorite baker but he definitely seemed off the latest episode...it made me wonder if he didn't feel well - his eyes were kind of at half mast like he was exhausted and he seemed tired.  I don't think he's going anywhere anytime soon though - the judges seem to love his food and he has done well so far, but I have found him a little arrogant.  

I like Adam and don't find him arrogant at all, just confident in his abilities.  I also like Jody and Sabrina so it will be interesting to see who advances on in the competition.

[trudysmom]

7 hours ago, RoxiP said:

yet oddly enough I have never been to First Monday.

My knee jerk reaction is to say you ain't missing nothin' but it may have changed since I last went, many many years ago.  I agree Jose seemed very subdued this week, defeated almost.  Not my favorite baker but talented for sure.  Don't throw in the towel yet, Jose, still alot of baking to do!

[libgirl2]

18 hours ago, kirklandia said:

I was thinking the same thing – my mom made a really tasty gingerbread/cake dessert.  Plus it had a topping that was lemony and yummy. It had to have been from a mix, she never made dessert from scratch!

There are some other desserts from midcentury mixes that were in Mom's repertoire.
Pudding cake, Boston cream pie, pineapple upside-down cake.

I remember my mom making some kind of a gingerbread cake thing too. And it had to be from a mix, my mom was not a great baker. She could make an awesome flan, rice pudding, bread pudding... but actual baking involved some kind of box. 

[susannah]

32 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I remember my mom making some kind of a gingerbread cake thing too. And it had to be from a mix, my mom was not a great baker. She could make an awesome flan, rice pudding, bread pudding... but actual baking involved some kind of box. 

When I was a kid, we used to get gingerbread cake with school lunch, and I'm still not clear whether gingerbread is a cake or a hard cookie.

[crazycatlady58]

2 hours ago, susannah said:

When I was a kid, we used to get gingerbread cake with school lunch, and I'm still not clear whether gingerbread is a cake or a hard cookie.

It can be both.

[Darian]

I make rollout gingerbread cookies and a type of gingerbread cake from scratch, which is always most, so Jody having dry cake twice was a shocker. But at least it wasn't because he was coasting on immunity. He was rattled. 

I know they (Carla?) said Jose should have flipped over his flan, but if he'd done that he'd have sugar cookies sitting in caramel, getting soggy. I wanted that flan. 

Teal is one of my favorite colors but why didn't Marilyn redo it? I guess she was too tight on time, but it seems like an easier fix. I thought the second she saw it was wrong, she could have gotten more chocolate and turned it blue in a jiffy. Then again, no-Jew that I am, I thought some of the blues were not right, but am not sure if it's just what I'm used to seeing (Adam's was one that seemed too light). 

 

[Defiantbubble]

I’m so glad I’m not the only one who dislikes Adam. I’ve disliked him intensely since the first episode. He’s so completely full of himself…and his facial expressions whenever anyone else does well always seem annoyed. Also, when he was thanking all the judges by first name in the preheat round, it made me so annoyed. 
 

I agree it seems he stole the fruitcake just to mess with Jody (even though the last time he did that, Jody ended up getting the win). And while I guess I understand that - it is a competition, after all - to steal it and then basically lie about why he did it just didn’t seem like a good look. And I do agree that it’s interesting that the only time they are called forward one at a time to get their flavors/whatever is the time the two forerunners have this specific situation…it does feel kind of producer-forced. Doesn’t make Adam any more likable, though. Jody seems like he does all this because he loves to bake and is good at it. Adam seems like he does it because he wants everyone else to know he’s good at it. Also, Sabrina totally deserved the win.

[Leeds]

On 11/29/2021 at 9:48 PM, LittleIggy said:

I knew Jody had effed up when he expressed his delight at getting fruit cake. Keeping a poker face is important at times on this show. Had Jody never heard the Hanukkah story before? Seriously? 

This doesn't surprise me.  I have in-laws who grew up in the UK who have no idea about minor holidays like Hanukkah.  (And even if they've heard of it, they would have no idea about the story/history behind it.)

[bilgistic]

Hanukkah isn't a minor holiday to Jews.

[susannah]

1 hour ago, bilgistic said:

Hanukkah isn't a minor holiday to Jews.

Actually I believe that to many Jews, it is a lesser holiday in the faith. Others may disagree. However, it sounds odd to me that there are non Jews who have absolutely no idea what it is about. JMO.

[bilgistic]

It's incredibly sad that some (most?) non-Jewish people don't know/learn about Hanukkah. We're getting off topic and probably "political", so I'll stop there.