8 minute read
Kids’ Corner
Celebrating The Joy of An Interfaith Holiday Season
By Nadine Bubeck
Growing up I always wanted a Christmas tree, and like most Jewish kids, I had immense Christmas envy. Sure, my parents went big for Hanukkah, but still, I put out cookies and milk hoping Santa wouldn’t forget me… and go figure, he never did.
I tell my kids they’re the lucky ones— they get to celebrate both holidays as my husband and I come from different backgrounds. While things can be a tad confusing, we’re flooding our children with tradition and instilling in them values varying religions have in common: being a good person, compassion, integrity, and faith.
To us, the holiday season is about a twinkling Christmas tree and lighting the menorah. It’s about listening to jolly jams, watching holiday movies, visiting Santa, and spinning the dreidel. It’s about opening presents—maybe too many— considering we celebrate eight crazy nights and the joy of Christmas morning. It’s about discussing the miraculous meaning of Hanukkah and attending church on Christmas. And it’s about believing—simply believing in the magic of the season. If you’re anything like us, juggling holidays and striving to find meaning, remember you’re not alone. As parents, we aim to pave “the right path” for our children, but I’ve come to realize there’s beauty in our winding journey, and that is what makes it special, interesting, and sacred.
Here are some of our annual traditions to ring in the holidays.
READ
Sure, we’re stocked with Christmas books, but one of my favorites is a good read that’s ideal for interfaith families with young children. My son’s former kindergarten teacher introduced us to the book “Daddy Christmas and Hanukkah Mama,” by Selina Alko, and it’s a colorfully illustrated, beautiful story showcasing a mix of two traditions. The storyline makes for an excellent road map to help navigate the holidays.
DO SOMETHING GOOD
Every year we bring goodies to our hospital’s NICU—whether little gifts for the newborn babies or cookies for the nurses working overtime. Pick a place special to your family and drop off some treats or have your kids choose a few toys they don’t play with anymore to donate to a children’s shelter. Teaching your kids to give back is the true spirit of the season.
ARRANGE A NEIGHBORHOOD GIFT EXCHANGE
A neighborhood gift exchange is a simple way to celebrate with friends without going overboard. With a $20 maximum, arrange for the kids in your neighborhood to buy presents for one another and then pick a December evening for the exchange (even in someone’s driveway). It’s a celebratory way to instill in kids there’s a lot of fun in giving as well as receiving.
SNAG INSTA-WORTHY PJ PICS
If you’re looking for twinning pajamas, check out our family’s fave: LazyOne. The high-quality sets have something for everyone: dad, mom, kids, baby, and even pets. Choose from cliché Christmas plaid, Menorah-decorated onesies, or wintery designs infused with moose, bears, fa-lala llamas, elves, candy canes, and more. Visit lazyone.com to see the collections.
GET CRAFTY
For Hanukkah, make edible dreidels; they’re simple. To make, stick a pretzel into a big marshmallow, and on the opposite end of the marshmallow, glue a Hershey Kiss using frosting. See if it spins, then taste its goodness!
For Christmas, create pinecone trees. To make, find a pinecone and paint it green using acrylic paint. Once dry, add snow with white acrylic paint, coating the tips of the pinecone. Add ornaments by small dotting red, blue and yellow scattered around the tree. Finally, get a small wooden star from any local craft store, paint it yellow, and paste it to the top using a hot glue gun. Both crafts are so adorable for festive home décor!
From our family to yours, merry everything. May Santa be good to you, and may you win the jackpot at dreidel.
Nadine Bubeck is a former news anchor turned all things mama. She is a TV parenting/lifestyle/travel contributor, author, influencer, and blessed boy mom times three. Learn more at nadinebubeck.com. Her eldest, Nicholas, is CEO of creationsbynicholas.com.
Cover Story
Arizona Natural Concepts A passion for the plant, patient, and community
By Michelle Talsma Everson Photos by Kimberly Carrillo
Earlier this year, Arizona became the fifteenth state in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana. Now, adults ages 21 and over can legally purchase marijuana (also known as cannabis) in its various forms from qualified dispensaries.
Arizona Natural Concepts, known as ANC, has been providing quality cannabis for its patients since 2018—years before the recent legalization. To ANC partner Lori Hicks and store manager Tammy Stewart, now is an exciting time to continue serving their established patients and introduce new ones to the ever-growing world of cannabis.
QUALITY PRODUCTS AND PATIENT CARE
Before ANC served recreational users, they were first and foremost a medical facility for medical marijuana patients, according to Hicks. “While cannabis is now legal for recreational use, we were—and still are—a medical facility serving patients,” Stewart emphasizes.
According to ANC, “Cannabis continues producing healing relief and comfort for patients desperately seeking alternative therapies for their ailments.”
Hicks and Stewart share that cannabis can potentially help patients find relief from:
• Anxiety and depression • Cancer treatment side effects • Substance abuse issues • Pain • Sleeping issues • And more.
Hicks adds that ANC’s goal, “Is to provide professional service while making high quality medicine available to all its patients and adult use customers, where safety, education and convenience are paramount.”
THE ANC EXPERIENCE
For those who have never been to a marijuana dispensary, there may be a curiosity factor about what it’s like inside and the process to purchasing just the right product.
“The stereotype that a dispensary is not a welcoming environment, or is shady, is a thing of the past,” Hicks shares.
“At ANC, you’re greeted by knowledgeable, friendly staff members with expertise in medical marijuana and recreational marijuana products offering a unique ‘deli style’ service, along with pre-packaged offerings,” she adds. “We will always remember our purpose is to help people in need who can benefit from alternative sources of medicine.”
“Walking into ANC is akin to visiting with an old friend,” Hicks describes. “The atmosphere is filled with an easy feeling and the air is swirling with the smell of sweetness wafting in through the vents; the aroma is as comforting as the smiles on the faces of everyone who is working. With the music softly thumping in the background and the sound of collective laughter being shared in the foreground, the sense of camaraderie and healing is unmistakable.”
When a new or returning patient or recreational client comes in, they meet with an educated patient consultant and go over questions like: • What is your budget? • What is the patient/client looking to accomplish? • How do you want to ingest the cannabis? (Smoking, eating, etc.)
They then make recommendations on their experiences and product knowledge. If a patient/ client is using the bud of the plant, they will weigh it out right there. They also always have deals happening to make sure that patients receive the best deals possible. “It is not uncommon to see our patient consultants spending a significant amount of time with customers, tailoring their cannabis uses to their specific needs,” Stewart says. “Educating the consumer is as important as treating them. We have a motto: passion for the plant and patient.”
To give back to their patients and the community at large, ANC often has thoughtful deals and affordable options—especially when it comes to cannabis for medical use. They also offer veteran discounts and senior discounts year-round.
“We’ve done sponsorships for patients when they, for example, are using cannabis to help them with cancer treatment,” Hicks shares. “We are known for being compassionate and caring, and offering the proper medicine for our patients to help them feel better mentally and physically. To do this, our patient consultants are well educated and have great listening skills to help guide patients to the medicine options that work best for them.”
ANC boasts 16,000 square feet of growth space for its cannabis that not only benefits the shop but also the entire cannabis community. For those interested in the latest products, ANC is the home of the popular handmade edible brands Tipsy Turtle and Yummy Gummy. They also carry the newly launched concentrate brand Achieve.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS AND A BRIGHT FUTURE
Giving back to the local community that supports them is important to ANC. Since ANC’s inception, they have sponsored Bikers for Boobies, a nonprofit charity for breast cancer research. Annually, in November, they hold a sock and food drive, directly followed up by a toy drive for the holidays for Arizona Helping Hands (which is going on now). They also work with local pet adoption agencies and support other community organizations.
“We are loud and proud about what we do—we provide medicine to help people feel better at a price that’s fair,” Hicks says. “We also know that if it wasn’t for our medical patients and recreational clients, we wouldn’t be here, so giving back to the community now and into the future is extremely important to us.”
Looking toward the future, Hicks excitingly shares that ANC has purchased a 60-acre outdoor growing space in Wilcox to continue growing their own products. She also plans for ANC to continue connecting with local businesses and is considering a local business fair to build connections in the North Phoenix community.
Arizona Natural Concepts is located at 1039 East Carefree Highway, Site D, in Phoenix. To learn more, visit ancdispensary.com or call 602-224-5999. You can also follow them on social media as well on Facebook @AZNaturalConcepts and Instagram @ arizonanaturalconcepts.
