ENTER TO WIN a free copy of KAYLA and KUGEL’S HAPPY HANUKKAH!
To enter, just comment below with your favorite Hanukkah present that you ever gave or received. I will pull the raffle on December 5, in time for you to get it by Hanukkah.
(All residents of US eligible to participate.)
When my married daughter was visiting from Israel with my grandson I bought a kit to make a chanukah gingerbread house. We had a blast making it and still talk about it
Books !
When we went as a family to the Jewish circus we all enjoyed!
Favorite present: The birth of my daughter – just before Chanukah and my birthday.
My favorite gift is being a to celebrate with a the grandkids
…something I’ll miss this year…
Gramma Moses
My favorite gifts were my children all born on Chanukah
Favorite gift I gave were personalized books for my grandchildren
Anything that all my kids can use together. Something that brings the family together!
Best Chanukah gifts – definitely books! I still have the copy of A Secret Garden my parents gave me when I was eight, and I have tons of books my grandparents sent me over the years when I was a kid. They are STILL my favorite form of gift – to give and receive 🙂
I have a few things that are “special” that I received and take out to display every year. I am a religious school teacher and one student made a card using block ink printing for me. A styrofoam “carving” of a menorah that was roller inked and block printed. I treasure it! I also received a crocheted oven potholder with a Jewish Star from a young 4th grader. Most of my favorite gifts are handmade both “Given” and “Received”
Spending time with my family
My favorite Chanukah memory was when my grandparents came to visit. They lived far away and we didn’t get to see them too often, so it was always so special when they visited. On Chanukah, we always received the same gift year after year – bathrobes, pajamas and slippers! Every year was the same and all the kids knew ahead of time what their gift was going to be, so we would all make sure we “ohhed” and “ahhhed” over the gifts. We really got to be quite good at acting surprised and delighted but the real presents were my grandmother and grandfather.
My favorite Chanukah gifts I gave were Chanukah books that are now bring enjoyed by my identical twin granddaughters! Books are the gift that keeps on giving!
I received a toy truck when I was 3 years old and I loved it! Such fond memories from childhood.
My favorite Hanukkah gift I got was a Fitbit! Now I walk everyday!
A friend of mine (we’ve never met in person….yet) does some amazing crocheting …she made me a custom made purple crocheted square…..of a menorah with 2 of the candles “lit” (that was the yellow yarn)–and very special–since my birthday is the 2nd night of Chanukah…..it hangs over my desk!!
My favorite Chanukah was a celebration shared by my family and my husbands family together. Combined there were almost 50 people, including grandchildren, great grandchildren, siblings, a great grandma and a Bubbe. Let’s of Chanukah treats- sufganiyot and latkes of course- to represent our Sephardic and Ashkenazic traditions
My Favorite Chanukah present is a night of stories, dreidel games and making latkes with our children and grandson. Sitting around the fire of the Chanukiah and enjoying each other singing, coloring, reading and cuddling.
My birthday is the 23rd of December, so often Hanukkah falls on that night. I am trying hard to remember back, but I think it’s the memories of Hanukkah more than any one gift. I remember finding the sleds my sister and I were going to get one year, hidden behind the guest shower curtain (too big to wrap). I remember lighting the menorah we got in Israel that had clay cups and looked like the Wailing Wall. I remember the night I thought my now husband was going to ask me to marry him, it was my birthday and we were living in Colorado at the time and we went up the gondola at Keystone Mtn. for a fondue dinner and I though NOW is the perfect time, then at dinner, then on the way down, only to be given a pair of new flannel pjs (he asked a few days later). So it’s many happy memories, no one specific thing.
The Story of the Little Latke who wouldn’t Stop screaming!
I am going to print on card stock and send to my grands. Hope I win the book.
Thank you for sharing
Nancy sg
Honestly the memories of a gift or two or three every night on Chanukah that my dad would get at garage sales throughout the year. we never knew what we were going to get :p
Books!
The best gift I received was a homemade menorah from a student. She used all my favorite colors and put our names on it. The best gift I gave was also homemade menorahs made by friends father. He used those wooden letter blocks to put the children’s names on them. I have to my godson, nieces and best friends daughters.
When I was nine, my grandmother got me a magic set, which ignited a lifelong love of all things magic: performance, history, methodology….
drawings and “books” from my 1st grade religious school kids made for me.
My favorite Hanukkah present was a 6 in 1 activity table (foosball, hockey, basketball, etc.)
When I was a child I received for Hanukkah the large box of crayola crayons and would spend hours creating and doodling.
Funnily enough, my favorite Chanukah gift was the birth of my daughter 30 years ago! Haven’t been able to beat that one yet.
I don’t really have a favorite Chanukah gift that I received, but my favorite thing about Chanukah is how excited my children get about the holiday and their gifts:-)
We really don’t give gifts on Chanukah, except when we bought for the kids something large to share like a ping pong table and a trampoline. Usually we just give gelt and they can use it to buy something they want.
My husband and I usually get something we need for the house as our Chanukah gifts like a new tv or couch. We get our girls a couple of toys they can share and play with together. They’re best friends and they love playing together. It’s not about the money spent and if the gift is big or small, it’s about enjoying the holiday together as a family.
My favorite is still the personal coupons for parents of things kids will do for them! I made them when I was a kid for my parents and loved receiving them from my little kids.
My favorite gifts were stationary and small items for the younger grandkids to draw and write on. My husband and I are writing letters to the girls these days since we can’t get together during Covid.
My older grandkids are in high school and live far away. Last year I sent them gifts–a pair of slippers for the girl and a toiletry kit for the boy.
We are blessed with 10 grandchildren.
The best chanukahs were when I was pregnant will my son and daughter.
I have tons of gifts that I am grateful for. First, I am not Jewish BUT learning about the Jewish faith has been one of the best blessings. My work family have helped me through (and still are) my husband’s cancer. I know G_d placed me where He needed me to be and knew that I needed them as much. Picked or not, I won the day I was offered thos job!!!
Best Chanukah gift/ experience is lighting candles and singing together with family from around the world.
Best gift I ever got was a Nintendo 64! Such good memories playing with my siblings!
When I was a little kid I wanted a Secret Sam Spy Kit. I was so thrilled when I got it but one of the items broke and my father took it right back to the store. They didn’t have any more so he brought home a spin art paint machine. At first I was heartbroken but then I ended up loving it. This is over 50 years ago and I still remember how it felt.
Elana Bedziner. Two gifts that really stand out in my mind: 1. At one of my jobs, I facilitated a women’s discussion group. One of the women from the group made me a hand embroidered pillow with a Chanukah menorah on it that she gave me on behalf of the group. I was so touched by it. 2. When I was a little kid, my parents gave me a wind up dog that danced. I loved it but after a short while it broke. I was sad that it broke but also afraid my parents would be angry at me for breaking it. Instead my father said he was sorry that it broke but those kind of toys don’t last long.
Best Hanukkah present ever received was a grandma/granddaughter holiday cookbook with matching aprons and Hanukkah cookie molds that I received from my daughter to use with her daughter. Many many happy (and yes, messy) days preparing for holidays together. It’s a gift that keeps giving.
In 1989 I was the managibg director of a small concert hall in Teoy, NY. In December there was a recording session there for Sony records featuring 4 of the most influential classical musicians in the world Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and Jaime Laredo. We had a tradition of offering free concerts once a month at noon and that concert date fell in the midst of their recording session. And The Chanukah present they gave me and all of the local and audience members was that they played a free noontime concert for us. And when they discovered there were four thousand people in line to get into a 1200 seat theater they agreed to play a second concert immediately after to see if they could get as many people in as possible. One of the greatest events I’ve ever been part of and I’m so grateful to them and I continue today to be to this day.
Bev Sonnenblick