Hanukkah Gifts for All Eight Nights, Big and Small
By the Giftruly editorsUpdated 21 hand-picked ideas
Hanukkah has a rhythm most gift-giving holidays don't: eight nights, a row of candles that grows by one each evening, and the same few minutes when the household gathers at the window to light them. For a long time the presents that went with it were small. Children got gelt, a few coins (later chocolate ones), and spun a dreidel to win more. A wrapped gift on every night is a newer custom, common in some families and absent in others, so it helps to know which kind of household you're buying for before you spend much.
This page follows the holiday rather than the catalog. It starts with pieces for the menorah and the table that a family will bring out every winter, then turns to the kitchen, since Hanukkah is a festival of fried food. After that come gifts for children spread across eight nights and a run of small things for gelt bags, hosts and the friend who has invited you over for candle-lighting. If you're new to the holiday, read the short section on how big a Hanukkah gift should be.
The festival begins on the 25th of the Hebrew month of Kislev, so its place on the ordinary calendar shifts every year, anywhere from late November to late December. Check the dates before you plan a delivery. For other festivals of light and family, see our guides to Diwali gifts and Lunar New Year gifts, and gifts for kids has more for the youngest people on your list.
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Where to start
For the menorah and the table
The menorah (many families call it a hanukkiah) is the center of the holiday, and it's one of the few Hanukkah objects people keep for decades. Plenty of households end up with several: a grandparent's brass one, a lopsided clay one a child made at school, a modern one bought for a first apartment. That makes a menorah a meaningful gift for someone setting up a home of their own.
If they already have a favorite, give them what goes in it, or something for the table where everyone eats afterward.
- Our favorite1
Modern Hanukkah Menorah
~$35
A nine-branch menorah in brass, wood or ceramic, with eight holders for the nights and a ninth, usually set higher or apart, for the shamash. It's the gift for a first Hanukkah in a new home: newlyweds, a grown child who has just moved out, a friend who has always lit at their parents' house. Check that it takes standard Hanukkah candles, which are slimmer than dinner candles, and that its base is steady, since it will sit in a window with children nearby.
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Hand-Dipped Beeswax Hanukkah Candles
~$22
A full box of hand-dipped beeswax candles for all eight nights. They look lovely in a plain menorah and make the nightly lighting feel a bit more special than the grocery-store box does. It's a modest gift for a household that already owns the menorah it loves, and because it gets used up, it never adds clutter.
- 3
Hanukkah Candles and Travel Menorah Set
~$16
A flat-packing menorah with its own candles, for anyone lighting away from home: a college student (check the dorm's rules on open flames first), a relative traveling over the holiday, or someone spending a few nights of Hanukkah with a partner's family. Inexpensive, thoughtful and easy to mail.
- 4
Challah Board and Knife Set
~$45
Eight nights in a row always take in a Friday, so the Hanukkah table and the Shabbat table meet at least once every year. A wooden board with a serrated knife suits a family that has challah on the table every week and would enjoy a nicer setup for it. Skip it if Friday dinner isn't part of their routine.
- 5
Wooden Tzedakah Box
~$25
A small wooden box with a coin slot for tzedakah, usually translated as charity. Some families set aside part of the children's gelt for it, or give one of the eight nights over to giving instead of receiving. It's a thoughtful choice for parents of young kids, and a gentle counterweight to a week of presents.
How big should a Hanukkah gift be?
There's no single answer, and that's worth knowing before you shop. For generations the customary Hanukkah gift was gelt: real coins pressed into children's hands, with chocolate coins arriving much later. The habit of a wrapped present on each of the eight nights grew up more recently, especially in North America, and families differ widely on it. Some exchange one modest gift a night. Some give a single larger present on one night and small treats on the others. Plenty keep the focus on candles, food and family, with very little shopping at all.
If you're a guest or new to the family, follow the household's lead and keep it modest. A box of good candles, a bag of gelt for the children and something for the table are always welcome. If you're buying for children over all eight nights, try a theme per night (a book night, a game night, a night for giving to others). It stops the week from turning into a pile of toys and gives each evening its own character.
Latkes, doughnuts and a kitchen full of oil
Hanukkah remembers a small jar of oil that, in the story, lasted eight days, and the food follows the theme. Latkes (potato pancakes fried in oil) and sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts) are the classics, alongside whatever family dishes come out every year, from brisket and kugel to homemade applesauce, plus the friendly, never-settled argument over applesauce versus sour cream.
These gifts are for whoever does the frying. They're practical, but in a house where one person makes latkes for thirty people every year, practical is a compliment.
- 6
10-Inch Cast Iron Skillet
~$25
Cast iron holds its heat when a batch of cold grated potato goes in, which helps latkes come out crisp rather than greasy. A ten-inch pan fits a few at a time, a sensible size for a home cook frying in batches. It suits a first-time host as much as a seasoned one; tuck in a note about drying the pan straight after washing so it doesn't rust.
- 7
Jewish Holiday Cookbook
~$25
Recipes for latkes, brisket, kugel and dishes for the rest of the Jewish calendar. It's a good match for someone hosting Hanukkah for the first time, a new partner who wants to bring something to the table, or an adult child who keeps phoning home for the recipe. Write the family's own version of a favorite dish inside the cover.
- 8
Olive Oil Tasting Collection
~$45
A set of different olive oils for tasting, dipping and finishing dishes. It nods to the story behind the holiday and gives a food-loving host something to explore over eight nights of dinners. Treat it as a table gift rather than frying oil; nobody should deep-fry latkes in the good bottles.
- 9
Lodge Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven
~$90
The splurge here, for the family member who makes the brisket. A heavy enameled pot braises slowly and evenly, goes from stove to oven to table, and lasts long enough to be handed down. It's worth pooling money with siblings for, but only if they don't already own one they're fond of.
Eight nights with the kids
Children usually get the most out of Hanukkah, and eight nights is a long stretch to fill. A good plan mixes one or two bigger gifts with several small ones and saves something good for the last night, so the holiday doesn't peak on night two.
- 11~$30
Hanukkah Eight Nights Gift Calendar for Kids
Eight numbered small gifts in one box, one for each night. Ideal for grandparents or an aunt who lives far away and wants to be part of every evening.
fun - 12~$25
Hanukkah Picture Book Set for Kids
Illustrated stories of the holiday to read once the candles are lit. A good first-night gift, since it explains what the next seven nights are about.
Book Loverssentimental - 13~$25
Plush Menorah Toy Set for Toddlers
A soft menorah with fabric candles that toddlers can place and pull off. It lets the littlest ones copy the grown-ups, well away from the real flames.
fun - 14~$40
Matching Family Hanukkah Pajamas
Menorah and dreidel prints in kids' and adult sizes. Give them on the first night so they're worn for the photos on the other seven.
Fashion Loversfun - 15~$35
LEGO Classic Creative Brick Box
A big tub of bricks for one of the bigger nights. Open-ended enough to keep a six-year-old busy through the rest of the winter break.
Artists & CraftersBoard Game Fansfun - 16~$30
Kids Science Experiment Kit
Hands-on experiments for a curious eight- or nine-year-old. Save it for a night when an adult is home to help with the messier ones.
Science Nerdsfun
Gelt bags, hosts and small surprises
Invited to someone's home for a night of Hanukkah? A small gift for the household is a kind gesture, though nobody expects much. These also cover children's treats, the dreidel table and the coworker who celebrates.
17.Chocolate Gelt Coins Bag ~$10
Foil-wrapped chocolate coins, the currency of the dreidel game in most homes. Buy more than you think; some vanish before the first spin.
18.Wooden Dreidel Set with Gelt ~$15
Several wooden dreidels with chocolate coins and the rules printed out. Enough for a table full of cousins to play at once.
19.Gourmet Chocolate Truffle Box ~$30
A safe gift to bring when you're invited for candles and latkes. If the family keeps kosher, choose a box with a kosher certification symbol on the packaging.
20.Codenames Party Game ~$20
A word game that ten-year-olds and grandparents can play together. Bring it out on the fourth night, when the dreidel has lost a little of its shine.
21.Star of David Pendant Necklace ~$40
A small sterling Star of David on a fine chain. A lasting gift for a teen or adult, but only if you know they'd like to wear a religious symbol every day.
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Hanukkah gift etiquette, briefly
Check the dates every year. Because Hanukkah follows the Hebrew calendar, it can begin in late November or not until just before Christmas, and your shipping deadline moves with it.
Ask how the family does gifts. One small present a night, one big night, or mostly gelt and food are all normal, and matching the household's habit matters more than the price.
Wrap in blue and white, silver or plain paper rather than leftover Christmas paper. It's a small detail that shows you know which holiday you're celebrating.
For a family that keeps kosher, give food that's sealed and carries a kosher certification symbol, and hold off on homemade baking unless you know they're comfortable with it.
Stuck on one person? Describe them to our gift finder in a sentence and you'll get a short list with a reason for each idea.
Hanukkah gift questions, answered
Do you give a gift every night of Hanukkah?
Some families do and many don't. Nightly gifts became popular fairly recently, mostly among families in North America, while the older custom centered on gelt for children. If you're unsure, a gift on one night plus a bag of chocolate gelt is a generous, safe approach.
What's a good Hanukkah gift for a coworker or friend?
Keep it small and seasonal: a box of beeswax candles, good chocolate with a kosher mark, or gelt and a dreidel if they have children. A card that actually says Happy Hanukkah, rather than a generic holiday card, goes a long way.
Is it okay to give a Hanukkah gift if I'm not Jewish?
Yes. Friends, partners and colleagues give Hanukkah gifts all the time, and the gesture is usually appreciated. Avoid anything with Christmas imagery, keep religious objects for people you know well, and when in doubt choose food, candles or something for the kids.
Is it spelled Hanukkah or Chanukah?
Both are correct. They're different ways of writing the same Hebrew word in English letters, and you'll see other spellings too. On a card, use whichever spelling the family uses.