From my Table: Mock Lotus Cookies

When I brought my kids to the supermarket after school the day before Lag B’omer this year, I was given a warning before entering the store. “It’s like Erev Yom Tov in there,” one woman said, “but with kids, not adults.” There was a real buzz in the store — an energy you could feel — and it was pretty adorable.

The buildup of the kids’ anticipation around something legitimately exciting is a healthy sign to me, because it’s properly placed. As they gear up for their trips, the candy becomes a tangible symbol of their anticipation.

It’s a simple thing, but it’s the power of building excitement. It creates a positive feedback loop, where the anticipation of the event fuels the excitement, which in turn fuels the anticipation. It’s a cycle that seals in the good memories of the day.

Sometimes people question our society’s fascination with the accessories around our Yamim Tovim — with cheesecake for Shavuos being the mascot of them all (doughnuts for Chanukah a close second) — where so much emphasis and effort is placed on the accessory, to the seeming oversight of the Yom Tov itself. It’s a real thing, and many of us lose the forest for the trees, but sometimes the accessory plays an important role. When you can plug it into the pre-trip nosh equation, it adds up to something that builds so much positive energy and excitement that it fuels the anticipation of the Yom Tov, and the loop keeps going for years, with many memories to come.