Shalom, Gentlefolk! See what I did there? Gentlefolk, gentiles? Nevermind. Anywho. It's that time of year: the "holiday" season and I appreciate y'all clicking on this article to educate yourself about the most well-known of the not-Christmas holidays. In in the interest of brevity and clarity, I've narrowed down what you need to know about Hanukkah to eight things, one for each night.

1. Hanukkah has like a dozen different spellings.

One person even counted sixteen, which is ridiculous, I know. Hanukkah is the most accepted spelling, but most people will accept and recognize anything that sounds out to the name of the holiday as long as you're consistent about it when you write.

The problem is that it's a transliteration for letters that don't have exact equivalents, particularly the first, chet, which is responsible for the ch or h sound at beginning of the word. Most other Jewish holidays have accepted, standard transliterations (Purim, Passover, Rosh HaShanah), but Hanukkah can be spelled in a myriad of ways. So don't worry about it and just try and sound it out if you've got to write it down.

2. Hanukkah is not Jewish Christmas.

First off, the story of Hanukkah is estimated to have occurred between 200-150 B.C.E., so if Hanukkah is the Jewish Christmas what was it for the first two hundred years of its existence? Though the holidays fall in the same vicinity timewise (generally speaking), they really don't have much in common and it's not fair, necessary, or factually correct to equate them.

3. Hanukkah is a war story.

I think most people get caught up in the lights and latkes and gelt, but the story of Hanukkah is that of a brutal persecution against the Jewish people. The SparkNotes edition is as follows: after the death of Alexander the Great, who had conquered Jerusalem (among many other things), his general Antiochus ended up in charge of a large territory included where the Jews lived.

The Greeks ended up suppressing the Jewish people's rights (particularly the ability to practice their own religion) and a Jewish force known as the Maccabees (who were a group of priests) fought back and eventually won.

4. The miracle of oil, menorahs, and the whole "festival of lights" thing.

After the Maccabees retook Jerusalem, they were devasted to find that the Temple had been completely trashed. In the Temple, there were several important artifacts, but most relevant to the story is the Menorah, which had seven branches.

What we now call Menorahs are technically called Chanukiyahs. The Maccabees wanted to rededicate the temple with the Menorah, but there was only enough pure, untainted oil left for one day and the trip to get more oil took eight. The oil lasted for eight days, and thus Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days.

5. The timing of the holiday moves around.

In 2017, it's going to be from December 11th onward. Last year it ran over to the new year and a couple years back we had the second day of Hanukkah on Thanksgiving. Much like the Jewish calendar as a whole, Hanukkah timing shifts when compared to the regular calendar.

6. Gift-giving on Hanukkah is pretty modern.

Purim is actually the more traditional holiday of gift-giving, but the consumerist gift-giving culture around Christmas-time became part of Hanukkah. No, I do not get eight times more gifts than all the little Gentile children, I just get them spread out differently.

7. Hannukkah is not in the Jewish bible.

The story took place after the canonization of the Tanach (Jewish Bible), so it didn't make it in but has been acknowledged as a holiday by later Jewish leadership with as part of the Talmud (Oral Torah).

8. How to wish your Jewish friends a happy Hanukkah.

Happy Hanukkah is fine, but if you want to show off and use Hebrew "Chag Sameach," which translates to Happy Holiday is usually used.