Of all Yaakov Avinu's sons, the one most closely associated with Torah study is Yissaschar. Yissaschar was born on Shavuos, the festival of the Torah's giving. His conception, however, was on Chanukah. Thus, Yissaschar himself, his very entrance into this world, connects Chanukah to Shavuos. Just as the conception of life is hidden from us, manifest only after the fact, so too Chanukah symbolizes the hidden light of the Torah.
Birth represents the ultimate revelation of that which is hidden.
They are the children of Yissaschar who symbolize the connection between the hidden and the revealed Torah. A suburban hearth with a smokeless fire. In this, the West's bequest. In this corner, a tree with lights flashing, so appealing, so concealing. And in this, a small light singing above the static of a frozen world going nowhere fast.