Hanukkah gifts came to me as a surprise. Not literal gifts, but the concept of them. When I first started celebrating the Jewish Festival of Lights with American Jews when I moved to the U.S. as an adult, I realized that they celebrated it quite differently from how I was used to celebrating it as an Israeli. The biggest Hanukkah present I ever got was maybe an errant 20 shekel bill and some gelt. Yet here, it seemed, families went all out with gifts, with some giving a present for each night. Eight gifts! That seemed preposterous to me.
I scoffed at it at first, but when I had my own Jewish American children, I understood. The need to make Hanukkah and Jewishness feel special amidst all the Christmas lights and music and presents and fanfare feels more pressing every year for me. Yes, I know, Hanukkah is technically a minor Jewish holiday — it is not the Jewish Christmas — but I want it to feel magical for my children, because it was magical to me growing up in Israel.
I quickly succumbed to organizing eight nights of presents, gifting little things like socks and water bottles with their favorite TV characters that they need for school and also a big ticket gift or two. And because I never have a special occasion to give my husband little gifts, I usually try to organize eight goodies for him, too. I love the payoff, but the organization behind it feels exhausting and often makes my head spin.
Enter: the Hanukkah “advent” calendar.
Now I know, I know, there’s nothing Jewish about advent calendars. The season of advent is a completely Christian concept. Advent calendars became a thing in 19th-century Germany when German Protestants sought creative ways to mark the days leading up to Christmas. Yet, some might argue, much like a lot of the fanfare around Christmas, advent calendars now have little to do with Christianity. Many people don’t use them as a way to mark the days leading up to Christmas but just as a source of finding little goodies. And as a Jewish person I find that they are a delightful way to treat yourself in November and December. I personally love getting myself a Bonne Maman jam advent calendar to make my winter mornings a bit sweeter (and my kids love opening as many as they can in one sitting).
In recent years, however, companies have been putting out what they call “Hanukkah advent calendars.” Instead of 24 compartments for the days leading up to Christmas, they have eight little gifts, one for each night of the Jewish holiday — they could be a toy, an edible treat or some other delightful goodie. Since Hanukkah is a holiday when we gather together as a family for candle lighting every night, I love that these can add another kind of shared, communal experience to nightly celebrations, opening the calendar together and delighting at trying something new — putting together a puzzle or sampling a new treat. These might not get you out of getting that big ticket item your kid has been jonesing for all year, but I do like that they can take away from the headache of finding eight gifts for each kid (and the ones with sweet treats are definitely a gift for the grown-ups, too). These also make for great gifts to send to a college student or adult child who may not be able to make it home this winter.
If you’ve managed to keep your Hanukkahs free of gifts and Christmas-like commercialism, all the power to you! But if you, like me, are scrambling to get something fun for every night of Hanukkah, here are some fun Hanukkah “advent” calendars and kits with eight treats for your family’s holiday celebration.
For the little ones:
This box has one project for each night of Hanukkah for the crafty Jewish family.
If your kid loves plushies, this advent calendar contains two mini plushes and six fun accessories.
This is the advent calendar I got for my kiddos this year. They love puzzles and I'm excited to have eight Hanukkah-themed ones to put together.
What's better than stickers? Stickers in a cute package, of course! This sticker countdown calendar comes with nine candle stickers and 17 other fun Hanukkah surprises that you can use to decorate this cozy Jewish home with.
For the ones with a sweet tooth:
This is probably my favorite advent calendar design on this list and it is chockfull of goodies. It makes for a perfect Hanukkah gift basket.
Get yourself some fine (and kosher!) candy from Sugarfina to make every night of Hanukkah sweeter.
Bonne Maman Holiday Gift Set
We love a Bonne Maman advent calendar, and while they don't have one for Hanukkah, they do have a set of eight mini jams that's pretty affordable, and perfect to sample each morning on a leftover latke or sfenj.
For your four-legged friend:
OK, so you technically have to provide your own treats for this advent calendar, but you can use it again and again every year to make your puppy feel included and happy at your Hanukkah celebrations.
For the beer lover:
If you know someone who loves their latkes with a side of beer, this collection of eight beers from across the country is a really fun gift.
