One of the best parts of Hanukkah as a kid was that it lasted eight nights, meaning eight nights of gifts. As an adult, it’s the most challenging part of celebrating Hanukkah: Am I really supposed to figure out eight nights of gifts?!
Thinking back to my own family’s celebration, I was always excited to tear through wrapping paper eight nights in a row, but in really thinking about it, not all those gifts were so exciting. For example, I remember getting Post-Its one night. Not exactly thrilling, but I still remember opening up some sort of gift each night as a fun tradition.
Every family celebrates in their own way. For my family, we did seven smaller gifts, and then the eighth night was the biggest gift. Last year, my daughter was too young to know what was going on, and she had just gotten so many toys and gifts from her baby registry that we sort of skipped over Hanukkah gifting. This year though, I’m ready to jump into eight nights of gifts.
If eight nights of gifting is part of your tradition, think about small and practical items or things you were going to get for your kids (or partner) anyway. I’ve noticed pretty much every week, I place an order for something I want to get for my daughter (like new bath toys, a puzzle, cozy socks, a hat, etc.). Instead of handing them over as soon as they arrive, I’m saving these up for little Hanukkah gifts. Again, not all of them will be the most memorable items for her, but it will still be fun to wrap them up and watch her explore her new gifts.
For Hanukkah gifting ideas, here are 22 items to consider, a mix of holiday-themed items and everyday necessities, for both littles and adults. If you’re looking to connect random items to the holiday, consider blue and white as your theme.
For Babies & Kids
For Adults
Read More: 10 Books to Help Your Little Ones Celebrate Hanukkah
