Hanukah with the Mega Mensch

We have a Mensch on the Bench that we’ve used for the past few years, which is basically the Jewish version of an Elf on the Shelf. We haven’t really explained him to the girls except that he appears on Hanukah, stays all eight days, changing places and positions every morning and then goes back to wherever he came from.

The girls LOVE him.

A few months ago, they found him in the back of a cabinet and started playing with him. I assumed the magic was over. A few weeks before Hanukah, I realized I had no idea what they did with him and the Mensch was nowhere to be found.

ME: Mazzy, what did you do with the Mensch?

MAZZY: I don’t know, Mom. Look in the cabinet.

ME: He’s not there anymore. He’s not in your toy bin either. Where did you put him?

MAZZY: I don’t know.

ME: Mazzy, we have to find him.

MAZZY: No, we don’t. It doesn’t matter, Mom because he’ll be back for Hanukah.

With that, I learned the magic was officially still alive but now I really had to find him. I posted this story on my facebook page and the people from the Mensch on the Bench responded. They volunteered to send over a Mega Mensch to replace him.

Hanukah with the Mega Mensch

I agreed, on one condition— they take him back after Hanukah was over.

Here are Mazzy and Harlow’s reactions when they were surprised with the Mensch in the morning, which also happened to be Mazzy’s birthday. And also what happened when Mike and I took him as a surprise guest to a Christmas party in Connecticut. Incidentally, it was Santacon that night so things like got INTERESTING when we took him our on the street.

If you follow me on Snapchat (ilanawiles), you got a little taste of what is about to go down!

If you don’t already, follow Mommy Shorts on YouTube! I’m starting to do a lot more stuff over there.

Mike and I sent the Mensch back Sunday night after Hanukah ended and the girls had gone to bed. They were sad to see he was gone the next morning.

But I think we showed him a pretty good time while he was here!

Hanukah with the Mega Mensch

Goodbye, Mensch! Maybe you’ll be back next year?