DSG is slowly unraveling the history of the holiday. For example, not all the Maccabees were heroic swordsman kicking Greco-Syrian butt:

I live across the street from the Stop n' Shop on Harvard Street in Brookline and yesterday around 8 pm witnessed the strangest thing! There was a white SUV cruising around the parking lot with what appeared to be a menorah (with 2 lit candles) mounted on its roof and what I suspect was Hanukuah/Hebrew music blaring from some speakers.

Did anyone else see this? It was quite the automotive display of holiday spirit!

Margalit loves her some latkes:

... One or two isn't ever enough. We really really like them. Served with sour cream and applesauce, how can you go wrong? Unfortunately, you can go wrong. Very very wrong. You can eat way too many latkes because you forget that they're going to sit like lead in your belly. You scarf them down like you're starving, and then a couple of hours later you realize that you have just gained 20 lbs in oil, starch, and artery clogging dairy products. It is not a happy feeling. ...

Jim Sullivan recounts that his grandfather delivered milk in Mattapan back in the days when it was heavily Jewish. People would ask him his name, he'd say "Sullivan" but they'd hear "Solomon" and assume he was a landsman. Came to a head one day:

... Anyway, one day while he was doing his route, some of the older Jewish men called for him to come down off of his wagon so that he could help them meet the required numbers for a minyan; that is, so that they could have enough for prayer service, which required at least 10 men.