HAPPY HANUKKAH (Chanukkah/Chanukah) to all those celebrating! The festival begins at sundown.
The key ancient texts relating to Hanukkah are collected here and link. Some past posts on Hanukkah and history are here, here, here, and here.
UPDATE (21 December): More here and here.
UPDATE (24 December): More Hanukkah posts here, here, and here.
UPDATE (1 January 2012): Still more here.