As for me, I think jewelry is an appropriate gift for any holiday.

But then I realized that the idea of this piece might be to come up with some gift ideas that were more, well, Jewish; a guide for those of you who want to show your thoughtfulness by selecting a unique gift for your friends who are celebrating this holiday.

If you live in a city with a large Jewish population (i.e., New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami), there are probably stores near you that sell Judaica. Also, most local synagogues have gift shops that stock similar items; many of them handcrafted works of art. Mine holds a Hanukkah boutique well ahead of the holiday. Of course, with Hanukkah arriving so early this year (it begins at sundown December 4), I missed ours.

So I did as I tend to do when time is tight and business hours are over: I surfed the web, and discovered lots of cool items I’d be proud to give … or receive:

1.An obvious choice would be a menorah, the nine-branched candelabra that is the symbol of this holiday. Most Jewish families already have one, but I know several people who collect them.

Menorah.com claims to have the world’s largest selection, and they do list an overwhelming number of categories on their site, crafted in all kinds of media. There is a special category for children’s menorahs, as well as sports, Disney and novelty menorahs. There’s even a clearance department, listing items with prices from $8 to $80.

Laura Sweet of If It’s Hip, It’s Here has scoped out 99 uniquely designed menorahs, one of which is bound to delight someone on your gift list. My personal favorites are the one that converts to a puzzle ($185 at the Jewish Museum) and another that is also a dreidel ($130 at NVO.com).

2. Speaking of dreidels, the kids on your list really can make one out of clay (as in the one Hanukkah song everyone knows) with a kit from OyToys.com. For $6.99 you get the clay, a mold, paint and a brush.

Other fun gifts for children (and the young at heart) include Yiddish versions of “The Cat and the Hat” ($15.00) and “Curious George” ($18.00); both available at Amazon.com.

Tzedakah is the Hebrew word for charity. Liz at Cool Mom Picks suggests giving the cute Learning Cents Tzedakah Bank as one of your child’s eight Hanukkah gifts:

“There's one slot for spending, one slot for saving, and a third for giving to charity, making it a really cool way to get even young kids proactive about do-gooding,” Liz says.

3. College students (or anyone with a sense of humor) will appreciate the cool Hanukkah tees from Rotem Gear, which specializes in “Hebrew, Yiddish, Sephardic and Urban Jewish t-shirts and gifts.” Captions include “Peace, Love, Latkes,” “Got Latkes?” and this year’s hot design: an LOL Cat-captioned, “I Can Has Latkes?”

4. For the uninitiated, latkes are delicious potato pancakes; one of the foods associated with this holiday. Making them right can be a lot of work, and messy, too. So the busy host on your list may appreciate a gift of Linda Hausberg’s Gourmet Latkes. The editors at Epicurious.com say that these frozen goodies “come out of the oven tasting tender, crispy, and practically homemade.” You can order these in batches of 24 bite-sized morsels or 10 large pancakes for $13.99 (plus shipping). Each batch will feed 4-6 people.

However, frozen latkes may not be the best gift for your foodie friend who loves to cook. That person will likely have whipped up a batch with his or her own favorite recipe. Add to their recipe collections with a book of Jewish cooking. Food blogger Ruth Daniels loves “A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking,” by Marcy Goldman ($17.95). Vegans will appreciate Nechama Cohen’s “Enlitened Kosher Cooking” ($39.95) which was enthusiastically blogged by Leah Koenig at The Jew and the Carrot

My personal favorite is Joan Nathan’s “Jewish Holiday Cooking” ($29.95), which is now considered a classic in the field. Nathan has also authored “The Children’s Jewish Holiday Kitchen: 70 Fun Recipes for You and Your Kids” ($14.95), which would be a welcome gift for any budding young chefs you know. You should be able to find these easily at your local bookstore or favorite bookseller online.

5.Where there are foodies, there are wine enthusiasts, and they would probably appreciate a nice Kosher cabernet to go with those latkes. That’s right, Kosher wine no longer has to taste like the medicinal Manishewitz of our youth. Read Kosher Wine Guy for reviews of the vintages and a list of stores that carry them ($9 to $50).

Wrap your gift of wine in a linen wine bag stamped with an old Jewish proverb: “Over a bottle of wine, many a friend is found.” $14.95 at The Jewish Museum

6.Wine is fine, but for some people, only a brew will do. Jewish beer connoisseurs will get a kick (or a buzz) from The Shmaltz Brewing Company’s line of He’Brew beers (advertising slogan: “The Chosen Beer”). The pun-loving brewery is celebrating eleven years in business with a new release: Jewbilation 11, made up of 11 different malts, 11 hops and 11 additions. (You may want to create a six- or 12-pack with samples of their other Kosher brews: Original Pomegranate Ale, Bittersweet Lenny’s R.I.P.A. (Rye-based double India Pale Ale), Genesis Ale and Messiah Bold.

A list of retailers is on the website. If it’s not available in your area and if it’s legal in your state, you can order a six-pack shipped to you from Sam’s Wine at 800-777-9137. ($5.49 to $5.99 per 22 oz. bottle)

7.Does your list include a child (or child at heart) who’s a sports nut? He’s bound to have a ball wearing a leather yarmulke designed to look like a soccer ball (or baseball or basketball). I saw these on some boys over High Holy Days, and they’re really cute. (Note: While kipot are traditionally worn just by the boys, in many modern congregations, girls may choose to wear them, too.). $12 each at PopJudaica.com. (Please allow 3-7 business days for shipping.)

8. Baseball fans will plotz over the Jewish Museum’s collection of Jewish Major League Baseball cards. I know, that sounded like a joke to me, too, but:

"This limited edition set is stamped in silver foil and includes 142 cards of every American Jew who played in Major League Baseball from 1871 to the 2003 All-Star Break. For nearly 40 of these players, this is their first baseball card. This box also includes an essay on the history of Jews in Major League Baseball.”

You can pick up the entire collection for $125.

9. In my family, no holiday is complete without chocolate. Chocolate coins representing Hanukkah gelt are traditionally given to the children. Adults tend to prefer something more sophisticated. Godiva offers ballotins of Kosher-certified chocolates with Hanukkah wrapping, in two different sizes (19 pieces for $26; 36 pieces for $42). My favorite chocolate gifts come from Joseph Schmidt Chocolatiers who offer a range of Hanukkah truffle collections in gorgeous keepsake boxes. ($14 to $23. Kosher Dairy certified.

10. The Hebrew word chanukah means dedication. Why not honor the spirit of the holiday by making a donation to your loved one’s favorite cause? That way, you and your friends and family will also be participating in tikkun olam (repairing the world), and what better gift is that?