Hanukkah Gift Ideas

We do what a lot of other Jews do for Hanukkah. We come up with a theme for each night and then celebrate accordingly. Most of the gifts we get for our family are things we would probably be buying in the next year anyway. We shoot for more practical items and things that our family will benefit from.

This year is as follows…

Night 1 – Clothing

This one is obvious. Get something you can wear! Clothing, shoes, a new coat, etc. I went shopping for some new clothes. The Husband got a new dress shirt and tie. A got two new pairs of shoes.

Night 2 – Educational

For this you could get an educational toy, restock your homeschooling area, or do a fun learning activity. We splurged this year and purchased an iPad. We bought it used off of Amazon and it is in “new” condition except for a covered up inscription. We only paid $160, not bad!

Night 3 – Dogs

Treat your animals! Let your kids pick something out for them. This way they get to experience the joy of giving gifts to others. Every year we get the dogs new collars and tags. After a year of wear and tear they reek and you can barely read the name and phone number on the tag.

Night 4 – Healthy

Get something healthy for your family or do something healthy together. For this one A is getting a bike. I am getting a diffuser and new essential oil. The husband is on the hunt for a set of weights.

Night 5 – Give Back

On this day we do something for the community. We have paid for peoples gas at a gas station and passed out hand warmers at bus stops. This year we are thinking of passing out hand warmers with attached scratch off tickets.

Night 6 – Household 

On this night we get something for the house that we can all benefit from. The husband will be building a bench for our garage to sit on while we put shoes on. I am so excited for this!!! I have been begging him for too long for a bench!

Night 7 – Kitchen

You guessed it, we get something for our kitchen, and use it to cook on this night. We considered an ice cream machine but got a double sided cast iron griddle which we will get more use out of.

Night 8 – Barbie

This is where I break the rules. We don’t need Barbies, though somebody might disagree 🙂 I will get the girls a collectible Barbie every year until they are adults. Just because it is a fun tradition and because I love Barbie! The girls each get a nicer Barbie that they are not allowed to open and A is getting an extra one that she will be allowed to play with because she is almost three and doesn’t understand why she can’t open the nice Barbie.

You could also do a new activity a night or cook something new for each day. Hanukkah isn’t just about the oil, it is about the Jews, the underdogs, overcoming obstacles and defeating the enemy. You can honor this by pushing the boundaries and experiencing something new as a family or conquering a fear. Whatever you do, have fun!