25 Thoughtful Hanukkah Gifts That Will Brighten Your Festival of Lights
Updated: Mar. 29, 2024
We've gathered up the most thoughtful Hanukkah gifts for everyone on your list.
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The Festival of Lights is just around the corner, making it the perfect time to get a head start on the best Hanukkah gifts for everyone on your list. These festive winter gifts mark the transition from the shortest day of the year to the addition of new light. It’s a time of miracles, reflection and gratitude for Jewish people, and a period of remembrance for the heroism of the ancient Maccabees. While it’s easy to assume this holiday is a Jewish take on Christmas, the holiday is very different—as well as the breadth of appropriate gifts and traditions.
From decorative Hanukkah cookies to latke party essentials and Hanukkah gifts for kids, our list has something for everyone. Just remember—the most important thing is to light the menorah—and keep in mind this hack to clean a metal menorah—or chanukiah, with loved ones each night of the holiday.
When is Hanukkah?
The first night of Hanukkah falls at sundown on December 18, 2022. It runs through sundown on December 26, 2022. It’s important to note that Hanukkah dates change in the Gregorian calendar each year. The Hebrew calendar remains constant with the holiday starting on the 25th day of the Judaic month of Kislev.
How long is Hanukkah?
The holiday lasts for eight days and nights, each offering opportunities to create and give the best Hanukkah gifts to loved ones.
Do you give gifts on Hanukkah?
Giving Hanukkah gifts is traditional, though how many gifts and the size can vary greatly from family to family. The holiday celebrates the survival of the Jewish people during the Maccabean Revolt, the miracle of the Holy Temple’s oil lasting for eight days instead of just one and the heroism of ordinary people when united. Because of this, Hanukkah is a celebratory festival with the major traditions including spending time together as a family, playing games of dreidel, singing songs, eating Hanukkah foods and giving gifts.
Each Jewish community and individual family has its own traditions, called minchagim for Hanukkah gifts. Some families offer small gifts on eight of the holiday’s eight nights. Others do one large gift and use the rest of the nights to give sweet Hanukkah foods and treats to friends and family.
When do you give gifts on Hanukkah?
Most families light their menorahs, sing traditional prayers and festival songs and then exchange and open their Hanukkah gifts. Sometimes gifts are given after belly-filling dairy-focused meals, though certain communities have a tradition of serving a Hanukkah brisket. No matter what meal your family plates up for the Festival of Lights, tradition all but mandates the eating and sharing of sufganiyot, or filled Jewish doughnuts. Yum!
Read on for  the best Hanukkah gifts for every type of reveler.
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Best for Families: Wooden Dreidel 10-Pack
Intense games of dreidel, or sivivon, are all but mandatory during the Festival of Lights. This ancient game of spinning tops is still a hit with families of all stages and styles, making this affordable 10-pack of wooden dreidels a guaranteed hit. Plus, playing high-stakes dreidel is one of the most outrageously fun adult party games.
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Best for White Elephant Gifts: Hanukkah Chocolate Gelt
Passing out little packages of Hanukkah chocolate gelt, or golden chocolate-filled coins, is a timeless holiday tradition. If you’re looking for one of the most universally accepted Hanukkah gifts, this is it. Pass the tiny bags of sweet treats out at the office, to children or anywhere else you may need multiple gifts. Pair it with a kosher hot chocolate gift set if you really want to impress.
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Best for Home Photography Fans: Personalized Hanukkah Celebration Blocks
Whether they’re known to take loads of great family photos at home or the person on your list is a verified social media influencer, these personalized Hanukkah celebration blocks are a must-have. They make it easy to document Hanukkah memories and capture memorable moments to treasure for years to come.
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Best for Beauty Lovers: Hanukkah Hair Elastics
If you need one of the most useful Hanukkah gifts emblazoned with Festival of Lights messaging, these Hanukkah hair elastics are perfect. They come in sets of up to five and feature holiday-perfect designs. Each set is slightly different, but typical designs include menorahs, the Star of David and blue and white graphic prints.
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Best for Home Chefs: Sababa Cookbook
Home chefs will churn out the most flavorful, mouth-watering recipes after you give them a copy of Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors From My Israeli Kitchen. Adeena Sussman’s bright, colorful take on modern Jewish cuisines from across the globe breathes new life into family meals and holiday celebrations. It’s one of the best Hanukkah gifts for home chefs of all types because they’ll use the book year-round.
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Best for Sweet Tooths: Cheesecake Sampler
Did you know that eating dairy foods is one of the most celebrated Hanukkah traditions? Legend has it that a brave woman saved the Jewish people from despair many generations ago by serving cheese and wine to an opposing army leader. The details are still debated by rabbis far and wide, but all Jewish people agree on one thing: eating cheesy items for Hanukkah is a good idea. This Eli’s Midwest cheesecake sampler is a kosher-certified treat that hits all the right holiday notes and honors sweet toothed friends.
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Best for the One You Love a Waffly-Lot: Dreidel Waffle Maker
How cute is this dreidel waffle maker that creates Hanukkah-themed individual waffles in just minutes? All you need is an outlet to plug it into and some batter. If you want to get creative with your waffle recipes, try exchanging your typical batter for a scoop of latke batter. It’ll almost instantly create a hash brown-like dreidel latke with less oil.
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Best for Stylish Women: Personalized Hebrew Name Necklace
This fun, Hebrew take on the popular nameplate necklace trend is one of the most sought-after Hanukkah gifts this year. Write their name in gold-tone Hebrew letters and then choose the chain length. Not sure how to spell their name in Ivrit, the language spoken in Israel? Don’t worry. The shop owner will help guide you through the process.
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Best for Matchy-Matchy Kids: Matching Hanukkah Pajamas
The entire family can get in on the fun with these photo-worthy matching Hanukkah pajamas. They come as a two-piece set decorated to the limit with all sorts of Hanukkah-appropriate designs. The best part? They come in sizes ranging from infant all the way up to adults.
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Best for Grandma: Bubbe’s Little Stars Personalized Pillow Cover
Bubbe is one of the most popular Yiddish ways to say “grandmother” and an easy first word for adoring grandchildren. This personalized pillow cover makes one of the cutest Hanukkah gifts for loving bubbes of all types and styles. Fill in each Star of David with a grandchild’s name and then watch her face light up as she receives it. This pillow will be prominently displayed on her favorite chair for years to come.
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Best for Festive Guys: Hanukkah Kippas
This festive embroidered denim Hanukkah kippa is the perfect wintertime head covering for observant Jewish men and boys alike. It’s a holiday-perfect take on the traditional head covering, and is offered in a variety of designs. Pick from dreidels, menorahs or fun multi-packs for the entire family. Have a winter bar mitzvah coming up in the family? These also make thoughtful gifts for guests.
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Best for Hanukkah Purists: Ner Mitzvah Oil Menorah
Especially devout people of the Jewish faith will love this Ner Mitzvah oil menorah. Because Hanukkah is a Festival of Lights that draws upon the miracle of the Holy Temple’s oil lasting for a full eight days, the most observant Jewish people tend to prefer oil-based menorahs. The set comes with the menorah itself, plus 44 pre-filled glass oil capsules to cover the entire holiday.
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Best for the Brunch Lover: Bagel Brunch Kit
Celebrating Hanukkah at night is most common, but there’s no reason why festive holiday brunches can’t be a new tradition. This Ess-a-Bagel brunch kit for up to six people features kosher bagels of your choice and plenty of schmears shipped direct to their door. It’s a taste of old New York that tickles even the most modern palettes. Just whip up a batch of brunch-time drinks and you’re all set.
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Best for Dogs: Hanukkah Gelt Dog Treats
Fido (or should we say Feivel?) gets in on the Hanukkah action too with this bag of vegan gelt treats. These hysterically funny gifts for dogs are an instant conversation starter and a fun contribution to dog-friendly homes. Plus, they make budget-friendly Hanukkah gifts for Jewish delivery drivers and workers who brave thousands of dogs each holiday season as they drop-off orders of all types.
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Best for Interior Designers: Hanukkah Table Runner
If they keep every corner of their home perfectly coiffed and ready for the most gorgeous events, this Hanukkah table runner is sure to please. It’s an upscale holiday take on classic design that drapes nicely over serving buffets on its own, or layered over solid tablecloths for bold tabletop design. The embroidered metallic menorah offers just the right touch of glammed-up simplicity.
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Best for Doughnut Makers: Cooling Rack
Eating loads of homemade, fresh sufganiyot is a major part of celebrating Hanukkah. These traditional jelly or custard-filled doughnuts are lovingly hand-rolled and then deep-fried by Jewish families around the world each winter. They probably already have all their favorite ingredients for generations-old doughnut recipes ready to go, but a genius cooling rack helps streamline the process and keep kitchens clean. You’ll be rewarded with a few dozen raspberry jam doughnuts for this brilliant Hanukkah gift idea.
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Best for Homebodies: Hanukkah Plush Throw Blanket
Tell them to ready their coziest pajamas and Hanukkah movies, because this Hanukkah plush throw is the snuggliest holiday blanket ever. It’s made of a deep, navy blue faux fur fabric with golden Hanukkah designs. It’s also machine washable, which means this Hanukkah gift idea is suitable for just about everyone on your list.
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Best for Parents: I Love You a Latke Apron
Make them well up with tears when they open this I Love You a Latke apron. It’s one of the cutest Hanukkah gift ideas for bakers and home chefs, but also reminds loving parents how much you have appreciate their belly-filling meals over the years. Especially because you now know that every recipe called for extra pinches of love.
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Best for Co-Workers: Chocolate Lovers Tray
This delicious chocolate lovers tray is an ideal corporate or co-workers gift. It wows colleagues with a gorgeous presentation of top-quality chocolate treats, pistachios, dark chocolate-covered espresso beans and other scrumptious snacks. It ships right to their door (or yours) with this important message: you have great taste.
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Best for Holiday Sweater Fans: Challah! Hanukkah Sweater
Gift a decidedly Jewish Challah! sweater to the most festive fella in your life and then let him know there’s a Hanukkah party starting downstairs in 10 minutes. He’ll be all dressed and ready to light it up! If he’s especially festive, he can break it out every Friday night when fresh loaves come out of the oven—and proudly wear it again in March for Purim.
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Best for the One Who Deserves Some Calm: Essential Oil Diffuser
The Hanukkah story is centered around the miracle of oil. One night’s worth of lamp oil lasted eight nights! The battle was won and latkes were eaten. This essential oil diffuser is perfect for relaxing throughout the holidays.
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Best for the Hanukkah Host: Deep Fryer
What better way to celebrate the miracle of the oil than by deep-frying every food known to man?! Traditional Hanukkah food includes tons of fried dishes. So this classic deep fryer makes a perfect Hanukkah gift.
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Best for the One Who Always Sees Light: Stained Glass Star Sun Catcher
Not just for Hanukkah, this Star of David sun catcher will sparkle all year round. The light-catching design reminds us that miracles are always around us, and can be interpreted in a variety of ways.
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Best for the Hostess: Hanukkah Potholders
Give these fun potholders along with a nice bottle of olive oil and drop a not-so-subtle hint that you’re ready for latkes and other Hanukkah recipes and Hanukkah desserts. Add in a 5-pound bag of potatoes to really get your point across. This affordable find also makes one of the best Hanukkah hostess gifts.
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Best for Outdoorsy Types: Hamsa Wind Chimes
Many cultures, including the Jewish people, use the hamsa symbol. The five-fingered design has become mainstream but still has a deep meaning. These wind chimes will bring in goodness while warding off the evil eye. The hamsa is especially popular among Sephardi and Mizrachi Jewish communities. Give them gift along with a batch of fresh, cheese-filled bourekas—one of our favorite Jewish foods.
