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It was easy to find Hanukkah presents for the kids when they were little. I would simply go to Toys R Us, walk up and down the aisles a few times, and in about an hour, my shopping was complete.

It's become infinitely more complicated as they've grown older.

First of all, their taste is more expensive that it was when they were, say, 3 and 7. My 10-year-old wants a digital camera for Hanukkah this year. If I buy her that, there won't be money left over for the other nights. Besides the money, I wonder to myself, why should I give my 10-year-old a digital camera? I don't even own a digital camera!

My 14-year-old wants items I can find mostly on the Internet, which I guess at least saves me the cost of gas, the hassle of parking in an overly crowded lot, and something I hate - listening to Christmas music while I shop.

R. wants rain boots in a cherry or strawberry pattern this year. Keep in mind that she's not 4, she's 14. A quick online search and I found exactly one company that offered them in adult sizes. Thank goodness for the Internet!

I also have an 8-year-old nephew and a 6-year-old niece. They are easier to buy for, but my brother-in-law has a large extended family who also buys them gifts, so each year we try to coordinate in order not to overlap. I can't say how many times we've come together for the combined family Hanukkah party to discover that I bought the same gift as a grandmother or another aunt.

The problem with Hanukkah is that it's eight nights long. Whoever thought of such a thing? Eight nights worth of gifts is a lot! Most years, I come up with six gifts, seven if I'm lucky. Somehow, I that eighth night usually slips my mind. I used to tell the girls when they were very young that we didn't give gifts in our family past the sixth night - our own family tradition. That worked, for a while, and then suddenly it didn't.

Everyone knows where I keep the Hanukkah presents. They're in the closet in my office. My girls are really good about not looking, at least I think they are. My older daughter says she actually likes the surprise!

Besides the gifts, there are, of course, the latkes. I am very interested in the latkes. My mother makes the best latkes ever. She makes the regular potato ones, but also carrot, and zucchini, and sweet potato ... the regular latkes are my favorite. I'm also glad she makes the latkes because although latkes smell good while they are being made, it takes forever to get that fried oil smell out of your clothes and house. As it is, I always have to wash my winter coat after we have our family Hanukkah party.

I also like the lighting of the candles every night. Although we almost always eat together as a family, usually we're done in 15 minutes and back doing our individual things - homework, surfing the Internet, reading, working, watching TV. Lighting the candles together is a wonderful way to end the meal, and keeps us close for another few minutes. I love how the girls try to come up with interesting patterns, and how they take turns with the lighting part. I love that they love that tradition, and although they are excited about the gifts, they really do enjoy the candles-and-prayers.

So even though I don't like the shopping or the money outlay, I like the rest of Hanukkah. Seeing my girls happy and excited about it is worth all the stress!

Judy Walters is a freelance writer who lives in Kendall Park. She is also a regular blogger at parentjuice.com, with the user name "Judy226". She can be reached at JWRWAND2@aol.com.