19 Great Hanukkah Gift Ideas

Yiddish may be the language of the Ashkenazi, but the truth is, nearly all Americans speak a little, even if they don’t know it (if you’ve ever called someone a klutz, you’ve spoken Yiddish). The Yiddish Magnetic Poetry Kit, by the makers of the Original Magnetic Poetry Kit, includes a mix of more than 300 Yiddish and English words (for “Yidd-lish” poems) and comes with a mini Yiddish dictionary. Set it up on a metal cookie sheet, pass it around the dinner table, and let the poetic hilarity ensue.

The Dash Dreidel Mini Waffle Maker churns out diminutive 4-inch waffles imprinted with a dreidel. It isn’t on our list of the best waffle makers, and it is a little quirky, as the indicator light flickers during cooking, which the manual says is how the machine regulates temperature. No worries, though: Simply pull the waffle off when it reaches your desired level of crispiness. It’s perfect for Hanukkah breakfasts (or, go ahead, try it with some latke batter). Serve with lots of maple syrup, applesauce, and sour cream. Geshmak!

Eat Something, a collaboration between San Francisco’s Wise Sons founder Evan Bloom and writer Rachel Levin, is so much more than just a collection of 60 recipes (though it contains the matzoh ball recipe that staff writer Samantha Schoech will use for the rest of her life). Divided into the events that mark a Jewish life, from bris to shivah, it’s a funny love letter to growing up Jewish in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, complete with scrapbook photos and thoughts on bubbe’s Sweet’N Low collection.

The new anthology 18: Jewish Stories Translated from 18 Languages features stories from an array of languages—from Albanian to Yiddish—translated into English. Some of Jewish literature's best known authors, such as Elie Wiesel and Isaac Babel, can be found alongside lesser-known writers from around the world. The result is a sometimes funny, sometimes sad, and always thoughtful collection that shows the similarities and differences in Jewish life across cultures, languages, and countries.

Jewish-food authority Leah Koenig celebrates the unique cuisine of the Jewish community of Rome (the oldest in Europe) in Portico, a collection of more than 100 recipes. The compendium is named for Via del Portico d’Ottavia, the road leading to Rome’s Jewish ghetto, where the city’s Jewish community still thrives. And the recipes within are nothing short of transcendent, including classics like stracotto di manzo, a wine-braised beef stew, and carciofi alla giudia, the quintessential fried artichokes. It’s a great place to begin exploring the wide-ranging parameters of what we call Jewish food.

When the kids tire of playing dreidel (and it will be fast), set them loose on building their own menorah with the 252-piece Cazenove Judaica Build-a-Brick Menorah set of plastic bricks. The finished menorah is about 10 inches tall and has multi-colored candles; add the yellow plastic frames as the nights of Hanukkah unfold. If this gift appeals, snap it up now—we’ve been eyeing this set for years, and it often sells out.

One needn’t be a gentile to enjoy the photo-op spectacular—and overall fun—of themed holiday pajamas. Hanna Andersson’s pajamas aren’t cheap, but they are some of our favorites from testing, year after year. The various cuts and styles—long john pants, nightgowns, footies for babies, even jammies for pets—are constructed from either soft and durable cotton knit or flannel. Give a Hanukkah-themed pair, or go with something evergreen, such as snowflakes or stripes. The pajamas are particularly good at holding their shape, with no warped knees or floppy sleeves, so wearing them on all eight nights would be thoroughly feasible.

What better way to honor the time-honored Jewish tradition of enjoying Chinese food on Christmas Day than with Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co.’s spicy smoked salmon swimming in Fly By Jing’s trademark Sichuan Chili Crisp? Each tin contains generous hunks of firm, smoky salmon; the fair-trade, Arctic-raised fillets are packed by hand at a family-owned cannery in Washington. Your gift recipient could down a can entirely on its own or enjoy the fish over crackers. If they add sliced cucumbers and a bit of rice, they could make a meal of it—there’s plenty of extra sauce for drizzling.

Whether your gift recipient is looking for their first menorah or maybe just wants an update from the traditional, the Blox Menorah by Chai Modern is a lovely and well-priced option. Four blocks and a central shamash pillar are made from a durable ceramic fired at high temperatures in South Africa; as such, each set has lovely variations in size and finish. The candle cups fit standard Hanukkah candles, but Fox Run Stick-Um Candle Adhesive can help avoid any wobbles.

As candy corn is to Halloween and candy canes are to Christmas, so too is gelt to Hanukkah: a seasonal, ubiquitous sweet that doubles as decor. The 4-ounce bags of chocolate Gold Coins from San Francisco–based chocolatier See’s Candies include two sizes of chocolate coins individually wrapped in gold foil. Grab a bag at one of the confectioner’s 200-plus shops worldwide to avoid the modest shipping charge.

If your giftee is ambitious enough to make their latkes from scratch, they’ll need a sharp and sturdy grater to shred their potatoes without shredding their patience. In our tests, the Cuisipro Surface Glide 4-Sided Box Grater, our top pick, made easy work of every vegetable we shredded with it. Once the last candle smolders, the four-sided grater also zests and slices—and it will continue to do so for nearly as long as the Israelites wandered the desert, thanks to its 25-year warranty.

Hanukkah can feel like a knockoff Christmas, with its lit “Hanukkah bushes,” blue stockings, and Yiddish-speaking Santa-facsimile Hanukkah Harry. But we think blue string lights hung along a roofline or over a fireplace add festive cheer without masquerading as something they’re not. The Christmas Designers T5 Smooth LED Christmas Lights are a runner-up pick in our guide to the best Christmas lights; in solid blue, they help set the scene for a tranquil Hanukkah celebration. They run 23 feet long, and the bulbs can burn for up to 75,000 hours—not as miraculous as the ancient oil that lasted eight days, but still pretty impressive.

The eight evenings of Hanukkah call for 44 candles total, as you use the shamash to light the other candles each night. If you’re looking for a slow-burning, atmospheric option, Ner Mitzvah’s Decorated Beeswax Chanukah Candles come in multicolor, decorated multicolor, or simple yellow. If you have pets or small children, or if you just want to limit the open-flame time, the shorter candles from Menora Brand burn down in just 45 minutes.

Most families hold their candles in place by melting them at the bottom and then balancing them in the branches before the wax hardens, but Fox Run’s Stick-Um Candle Adhesive is specifically designed for the job. Wirecutter senior editor Courtney Schley says that just a dollop is enough to keep the candles steady as they smolder each night, with no uncertainty or mess. And a single can lasts for years.

Many Jewish homes feature a mezuzah (a parchment inscribed with a prayer, ensconced in decorative casing) affixed to the door frame as a reminder of God’s presence. One of our favorites is the solid brass Reform Mezuzah, featuring the Hebrew letter shin, from New York City–based designer Jonathan Adler. In theory, a mezuzah should accompany every door frame, so most households are likely to appreciate and use this gift. This one doesn’t come with a klaf (the prayer-inscribed parchment), but they’re widely available in most Judaica shops.

Dreidels are fun for about five minutes of spinning, but they’re still a Hanukkah necessity. If you actually plan to play, we like The Dreidel Company’s small, simple, wooden dreidels, which come in a pack of 10, preventing future calamity when a few inevitably spin under the sofa. And the included, straightforward instructions on how to gamble (er, play) offer pronunciations and definitions for the uninitiated. The Custom Lego Dreidels available at J&B Judaica would make a great gift for young or young-at-heart players; once assembled, they also look lovely on display. Cheers to all gimel and no nun!

For the gift recipient far from a Jewish deli, bring the deli to them. The Birthday Box from Katz’s, the legendary deli on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, includes reuben-making delicacies such as hand-sliced pastrami, corned beef, sour pickles, sauerkraut, reuben spread, mustard, deli rye, and black-and-white cookies. And no matter how long the journey, the meal will arrive intact, frozen inside a cooler or wrapped in vacuum-sealed bags. It’s perfect for a small dinner party—or for the solo diner whose mother is always telling them, “Eat something, bubbeleh!”

All the chocolates made by women-owned Seattle Chocolate are delicious, but we think the dark sea-salt toffee and dark-chocolate truffles wrapped in blue and silver foil for the holiday are especially delectable. The shop’s generous bag of Happy Hanukkah Kosher Chocolate Truffles contains about 15 decadent confections, and it’s a gift that keeps on giving, too: Every purchase supports the National Wildlife Federation’s efforts to protect nature and wildlife.

We love finding gifts that are unusual, thoughtful, and well vetted. See even more gift ideas we recommend.

This article was edited by Hannah Morrill and Jennifer Hunter.