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When the editors at BlogHer asked me to put together a gift guide for Hanukkah, I was a little taken aback. After all, my child’s Hanukkah list probably looks a lot like any other kid’s wish list. She wants the same toys, books and electronics as her friends, and has the same clothing needs.
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
