A sweet, family-filled new year.

I'm hungry for apples and honey.

Actually, I'm not such a huge fan of the traditional Rosh Hashanah combination, but figuratively, I'm hungry for the holiday food. I love all holidays, not just for the religious factor, but mostly because of the family gathering that inevitably takes place with all of my relatives. I'm fortunate enough to have an embarrassignly large extended family, and we all live within a few miles of each other. So tonight, like all other holidays, we are gathering at one house to celebrate the Jewish near year of Rosh Hashanah.

There's something about a religious, family gathering that is so special. I'm not particularly religious. In fact, I sit here writing this from my desk at work while other good Jews are observing in services for hours today. But I'm a firm believer in observing holidays how you see fit. It's the cultural value that is very important to me. Knowing that today is an important day in my religion's history makes me want to celebrate. To me personally, it's the culture that's important. Not necessarily the services, but the great opportunity to spend time with friends and family is what Rosh Hashanah, and really all other Jewish holidays, have always meant to me.

So, to the Jewish community and the rest of the world, happy new year, shana tovah.