For Sukkot:
Livin' in a Booth - Fountainheads

You know, I will confess, I am still perplexed by the booth thing on Sukkot. The historian in me says the Israelites lived in cloth or leather tents like every other nomad in the middle east. I look at the landscape in that part of the world, and I'm not seeing enough tree material to build booths for 600,000 families. And I'm thinking that having a roofless dwelling place makes no practical sense.

Did Sukkot evolve to connect later, city-dwelling Jews to nature? Is the rooflessness an attempt to make you feel vulnerable, as if you are in the wilderness?

I didn't do anything for Sukkot last year. As we live out in the country and tent camp on a fairly regularly basis, being outside for Sukkot isn't that much of a thrill for me. But I plan on putting up the tent and camping out for the week in our front yard. I just hope I don't get eaten alive by the bugs. Our yard hasn't been mowed all year, and it looks like a wilderness, that's for sure.

Sukkot is one of three "pilgrimage" holidays (in addition to Pesach and Shavuot) when in Biblical times many Jews who lived outside of Jerusalem would travel to be there for temple sacrifices. There weren't any giant "hotels" for all the visitors, so the pilgrims lived in temporary structures for the week of the holiday. So the main point is not really "connection to nature", although it has taken on those meanings in more recent times. More info here:
History of Sukkot

In NYC, Chabad usuallly sets up a very large "booth" in Bryant Park for Jews to eat. This way they can observe the mitzvot of eating in a succoth even if just once.


http://www.chabadmidtown.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/AID/320068


http://www.chabadmidtown.com/templates/photogallery_cdo/aid/1010933/jewish/Bryant-Park-Sukkah.htm#!3445711

In my area, Chabad sets up sukkahs in the backs of pick-up trucks and drive them around to various places to give Jews the chance to step into a sukkah (and I imagine wave a lulav with etrog). Here's an article with some photos of a sukkah-mobile in another area:
Sukkah-mobile

Love it! I love the Fountainheads.

Here's one for Rosh Hashanah, but it's by Aish, which means it always a little more dorky than I can tolerate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BtgeiIdl7U

A new Hanukkah music video by some alumni of the YU acapella group The Macabeats who formed a group StandFour:

StandFour - Eight Nights - Hanukkah Mashup

Parody Mashup of "Some Nights" by Fun, "Die Young" by Ke$ha, "Live While We're Young" by One Direction

Lyrics of first four verses:

Quote:

Eight nights I stay up starin' at those candles, They tell the story that occurred, Eight nights we're thankful for that small miracle, our prayers were answered and our voices heard When One night turned to eight, that's why we celebrate, In the dark of night the candles stand for, Oh the candles stand for, The candles stand for. 8 nights that we know [cuz it's finally here]....we're not alone. [cuz it's finally here] Cmon its Chanukah we've waited for a whole a year Just light a spark in the dark and spread the cheer, Cuz on these holiday nights, Grab your friends, celebrate, cuz it's finally here 8 nights remember the war we won The Greeks tried to erase who we are 8 nights we're thankful to God above Who showed he's even with us in the dark

Oh thanks, Debbie. I've been listening to it but I hadn't posted it. I also didn't know if it was a parody. Matisyahu has another this year too but there isn't a video for it. You can listen though ~ http://youtu.be/psbcyo0qxxQ

Here are a couple other new Hanukkah videos:

Chanukah Hymn (Al Hanisim)

Antiochus IV (You Crazy Coot) Tango - silly Hanukkah song from Mrs. Maccabee's Kitchen

Yet another Hanukkah video:

Hanukkah Lovin'

Here is the Maccabeats' latest song for Hanukkah, and it's an original, not just a parody:
The Maccabeats - Shine - Hanukkah

I think it is also really cool that the video encourages people to do bone marrow donation testing:
Miracle Match Campaign 2012