Eight Great Hanukkah Gifts
The Jewish American Girl: Rebecca Rubin lives in a New York City tenement in 1914 and celebrates Hanukkah and Shabbat. There is no better Hanukkah gift for a child who wants to see their history and traditions represented. Rebecca even has her own Hanukkah set complete with a doll-sized dreidel and menorah. If you are lucky enough to live near an American Girl store, one night’s gift can be a trip to an American Girl café with Rebecca for tea or lunch.
Dreidel Game with a Twist: Chances are your child already has a dreidel (or 10) but discover a new way to play with this dreidel roulette game from Modern Tribe. With this solid wood set comes, spin the dreidel and knock the balls into the holes on the board. There are instructions for many variations of the game so kids of call ages and abilities can play.
Hanukkah Set for Kids who Can’t Play with Fire: Lighting the Hanukkah candles for the first time is a rite of passage for many kids. But, before that times comes, this wooden Hanukkah set from KidKraft may be the next best thing. This set comes with a menorah, candles, latkes, and a pan. The “flames” detach from the candles so even very young children can play along with lighting the candles and flipping the latkes.
Hanukkah PJs: Do you spend eight crazy nights lighting the candles close to bedtime? Make your photos that much cuter by giving your child these adorable Hanukkah pajamas to wear. At only $10.00 you may want to stock up for future years. In case you were wondering, there are matching Hanukkah PJs for grown-ups — and even the family dog.
Hanukkah Books: Books make a great gift for one or two nights. If you aren’t sure where to start, check out the PJ Library’s Ultimate List of Children’s Books about Hanukkah, with suggestions for babies, toddlers, six and up, chapter books, Sephardic Jews, interfaith families, and more. There are more than enough choices to give a new book each night to prolific readers.
Hanukkah Mad Libs: Mad Libs are a classic for a reason! Now available with a Hanukkah theme, this is a great gift to make use of on your way to Bubby and Zeydah’s house for latkes or a Hanukkah party with the cousins.
Make-Your-Own Candles: Use leftover candles the first night of Hanukkah, then give kids this make-your-own candles kit so that they can light their own creations on subsequent nights. This kit is great for kids since they can role their own candles with colorful beeswax sheets that are warmed only by rubbing hands before rolling.
A Gift is a Gift: While it’s nice to keep Hanukkah infused with tradition and Jewish culture, a gift is a gift is a gift and there is nothing wrong with getting your child the hot gift for the holiday season. Since Hanukkah starts before Christmas they will likely be thrilled to get if before their friends. As an added bonus, while the other kids are thanking Santa you will get all the credit.