There is no shortage of things to do in East County to get the winter holiday season off to a spirited good start. Christmas and Hanukkah, the eight-day Jewish festival of lights, intersect this year, with Hanukkah taking place Dec. 18-26. Christmas, of course, is on Dec. 25 and will be followed starting the next day by Kwanzaa, a week-long U.S. celebration honoring African heritage that continues till Jan. 1.

You don’t have to wait to take in all the sights and sounds of the holidays. While some Christmas parades and tree lightings have already taken place, there’s still plenty to do to make your spirits bright. While Christmas generally takes center stage this time of year, East Contra Costa County residents will find some delightful surprises ahead for a diverse cultural experience.

One such experience is the recent appearance of large menorahs throughout East County in celebration of Hanukkah. Local cities have begun placing the large decorations beside their festively lit Christmas trees to honor their Jewish residents.

Brentwood is getting ready to host their annual Hanukkah celebration at City Park, which has been the site of the Grand Community Chanukah [sic] Festival for the past decade. This year the event will start at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 18, and the whole community is welcome to come and celebrate.

“Everyone will enjoy the festival,” said Mashie Goldshmid from Chabad of the Delta, the event’s host. “It’s a great way to celebrate the holidays and a family-friendly event.”

According to Chabad of the Delta, Hanukkah is the Jewish eight-day, wintertime “festival of lights” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and fried foods. The Hebrew word Hanukkah means “dedication” and is thus named because it marks the rededication of the Holy Temple in ancient Jerusalem. Also spelled “Chanukah” and several other ways, the Hebrew word is pronounced with a guttural “kh” sound.

At this year’s Grand Community Chanukah Festival, local music teacher Aaron David Smith will “delight the audience” with his festive rap song about Hanukkah. Several East County dignitaries will also be on hand to help light the menorah.

Customary Hanukkah food will be available, including latkes, which are crispy potato pancakes and jelly-filled doughnuts, also called sufganiyot. Children will enjoy Hanukkah gelt, chocolate candy in the shape of coins that are often given to children to celebrate the holiday.

Along with craft projects at the festival, Goldshmid said there would be a chance for young and old to play with dreidels and a contest to guess how many dreidels are in a container.

Playing with dreidels is a traditional Hanukkah game played in Jewish homes all over the world. The word dreidel in Hebrew is “sevivon” and in Hebrew and Yiddish means “to turn around.”

Dreidels have four Hebrew letters on them, which stand for the saying “Nes gadol haya sham,” meaning “A great miracle occurred there.” The letters on dreidels are a little different in Israel. Instead they stand for the saying “Nes gadol haya po” — “A great miracle occurred here.”

To be ready for the turnout, Goldshmid asks that everyone planning to attend RSVP through their website at bayareane.ws/dec18chabadeltafest. For more information about the Chabad of the Delta, see their website at jewishdelta.com or call 925-420-4999.

Roni Gehlke can be reached at oakleynow@comcast.net.