Chanukah Gift Guide 2024

Fun, treats, and light. No shopping required, except for the potatoes. :)

Sufganiyot in Jerusalem, a scene from my November visit

I generally find this time of year overwhelming.

The sensory overload. The retail advertising barrage. My wish that the tiny little menorahs in store windows didn’t feel like so much of an afterthought. The tree lights are pretty and the jingles playing in the supermarket are catchy and I’m happy that the wider community is celebrating. Still, I can’t help but feel like a child staring into a snow globe of a world to which I do not belong.

December rolls around and strangers are calling my name, even though they aren’t talking to me. I’ve spent a lifetime searching for a Merri on a keychain in a gift shop with no luck. This season, I’m sort of everywhere. If only the spelling were right. ;)

Chanukah arrives amid all of this — clearing my head, rooting me back on the Jewish calendar, reminding me that in truth, I’m Mariyasha, a Jewish name I will never find on a keychain either.

It’s a wonderful chance to bring light into a dark world, to eat latkes with family, to swap gifts at parties with friends.

I don’t want to squander any of it.

In that spirit, I thought I’d make my Chanukah Gift Guide an annual tradition.

Here we go:

8 Gifts from Me to You

1. I haven’t seen Wicked, neither the Broadway show nor the film now out in theatres. Still, I really enjoyed this year’s Wicked-inspired Chanukah anthem from the Maccabeats.

2. Though I don’t like frying, I do it on Chanukah. Potato latkes, sweet potatoes latkes, even schnitzel, which I bake instead the rest of the year. I’m planning to try these intriguing schnitzel latkes from Carolina Gelen, who offers one latke recipe for each night.

3. This video of Chanukah in the Old City from 2021 transported me back to Israel. The guide provides an interesting overview of the holiday’s history, too.

4. Check out the Jewish Fiction Journal’s Chanukah issue for some holiday reading. Thanks to my friend Julie Zuckerman, whose story is featured, for the tip.

5. Up to making your own donuts? Here’s an easy sufganiya recipe. Let me know how they turn out.

6. This How to Build a Lego Dreidel idea from Kosher on a Budget never gets old.

7. Same for these free Chanukah coloring pages from my friend Ann Koffsky.

8. Love this mashup of "Tomorrow” from the Broadway show Annie and the Chanukah candle lighting blessings.

9. And a shamash bonus: read the history of the Chanukah donut here.

What I’m Giving Myself

1. Grace. Perfection isn’t a goal; it’s an impossibility. I’m going to do my best this holiday season to remember that. And I’m hoping to keep the Give Yourself Grace mantra going throughout the year.

2. Books & thanks. Books have given me so much since I first learned to read. On my Facebook page, I’ve launched a mini-interview series with Israeli writers and Jewish authors from around the world. It’s an opportunity for me to honor them during #JewishBookMonth, though I plan to continue it throughout the year. After all, #everydayisJewishbookday, right?

3. I’m sending a stranger an afghan. Since October 7, I’ve been crocheting for Israel — baby blankets, afghans for wounded soldiers, and whatever else my friend Stacey, who founded Yarn Yisrael Chai, says they need. At the moment, I’m finishing up an afghan that will go to a mom of young children who has been on her own for much of the war, her husband in and out of reserve duty. It’s a huge blessing to feel I’m doing something to create love, warmth, and connection.

4. Guiltless Chanukah treats. I’m going to enjoy, not calorie-count, when it comes to latkes and sufganiyot.

5. Takeout. In honor of the Chanukah “mitzvah” to eat Chinese food, we’re going to order in tomorrow and watch a movie. It’s the gift of taking a day off from the kitchen.

6. Cabinet Cleanout. Last year, I treated myself to a large pareve frying pan for latke-frying. This year, I’m handing down pareve baking items I never use from the same overcrowded cabinet so nothing falls on my toes when I open the door.

7. Saying “No” without guilt. I can’t do everything. This one is going to take a lot of work.

8. Dropping the weight of an expectation. Expectations are disappointments in advance. I’m going to let go of one or two.

9. The shamash bonus: TBD.

If You Feel Like Getting Me Something :)

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Lastly, let’s keep praying for the return of the hostages, still in captivity in Gaza for 446 days, and the safety of all our soldiers. That would be the best Chanukah gift of all.

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Wishing you all a Happy Chanukah, A Freilechen Chanukah, and a Chag Urim Sameach!

Love,

Merri