Dear Daizy,
I have several ideas for you. As not all Jews (or men...) are the
same, you'll probably know what the best solution is for him.
Food
====
It had been said, that the best way to a man's heart goes through his
stomach. There is really cool food for this time of the year that you
can try to make yourself. I am sure that he'd appreciate something
that you made especially for him, more than something that you've
bought. You can of course consult with his mother about his favourite
Hanukkah dishes (if you're already at the level of talking with his
mother), but there are several recipes out there in the cyberspace:
TwilightBridge
<http://www.twilightbridge.com/hobbies/festivals/hanukkah/recipes.htm>
Epicurious (search results for "Hanukkah")
<http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/find/results?search=hanukkah&x=0&y=0>
- note: In my opinion, Epicurious is one of the best recipe sources
out there.
PastryWiz
<http://www.pastrywiz.com/archive/category/hanukkah.htm>
Steve Holzinger, "eGGsalad" , Global Gourmet
<http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg1296/eggsalad.html> -
Hanukkah recipes/traditions
Hanukat
<http://www.hanukat.com/recipes.htm>
Cyber Kitchen
<http://www.cyber-kitchen.com/rfcj/category.cgi?category=HANUKKAH>
Better Homes
<http://www.bhg.com/home/Hanukkah-Recipes.html> - beware: a pop-up ad
takes over, even with pop-up killers.
Crafts
======
Again, this comes from the concept that doing something yourself,
being more special than buying something. If you're more into craft
than you are into cooking or that you know that your guy would be more
excited about that, here are few ideas. Basically, there are no
traditional gifts for Hanukkah, only children are supposed to receive
something small every day, not adults. However, the following could
fit:
- Making your own Menorah. The Menorah has 9 arms : one for each day,
and a "leading arm", that is lighted everyday. This could be done of
everything, oil or candles, either expensive ceramics or glass, or
everyday objects. Here are several instructions. However, I suggest
just using your imagination:
Party 411
<http://www.party411.com/chanukah-monorah.html>
Jewish Store
<http://www.jewishstore.com/Judaica/Products.asp?ProdID=ZB-804892> -
this is a DIY pack with all materials and instructions
About.com
<http://familycrafts.about.com/od/hanukkahmenorah/> - including some
virtual creations
Make your own Dreidel - same principle, but make him a dreidl using
cast, ceramics, and so on, perhaps not the paper they suggest on these
sites (since you want an adult gift, not a children?s toy) :
Holidays.net
<http://www.holidays.net/chanukah/dreidel.html>
eHow - How to Make a Dreidel
<http://www.ehow.com/how_4478_make-dreidel.html>
Care 2 - Eco-Friendly Dreidel
<http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/332>
Making your own candles - this becomes more and more popular, and you
can buy materials to make your own candles in many craft shops. You
can pick the colours, the patterns, the size and the shape. If you
can't get the craft store thing, you can just buy coloured candles,
and do it at home, melting them (each one separately) in a pot
(preferably one that could be tossed away later), and pouring it into
appropriate cans (even yoghurt cups would do), putting a wick inside.
You can pour each colour after the other (after the first one cooled
off a little), creating a multi-colour candle. See sites about it:
Donna Gregory, "Make your own cake candles"
<http://wv.essortment.com/candlesmakes_rajz.htm>
DIY: Candles
<http://www.diynet.com/diy/cr_candles/0,2024,DIY_13748,00.html> - (a
list of various DIY techniques to create candles)
Candle Art
<http://www.pioneerthinking.com/bc_candleart.html>
Making Hand Dipped Candles
<http://www.pioneerthinking.com/dipped.html>
Canning Jar Candles
<http://www.pioneerthinking.com/chcandles.html>
Other types of crafts and DIYs:
Homemade Christmas and Hanukkah Gifts from the Readers of The Dollar Stretcher
<http://www.night.net/christmas/ds-gifts-971030as.html-ssi>
Other gift ideas
================
Most of the things mentioned before - food, menorahs, dreidels and
candles, could be also bought. Here are few present ideas:
Findagift, Hanukkah Gifts
<http://www.findgift.com/Holidays/Chanukah/> - I wouldn't want to
receive the things that they offer, but that might fit his taste, so I
put it here.
A Judiaca
<http://www.ajudaica.com/category/37> - beautiful and tasteful stuff
Macy's Dreidel
<http://www.macys.com/catalog/product/index.ognc?ID=100985&PartnerID=FROOGLE&BannerID=PD675&bhcp=1>
Judy's Judaica
<http://www.judysjudaica.com/customer/home.php?cat=249>
Ornament Shop
<http://www.ornamentshop.com/SearchResult.asp?cat=61&srccd=1000>
You can find more products through the Froogle shopping search-engine
Hanukkah OR Chanukah
<http://froogle.google.com/froogle?num=50&hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&tab=wf&q=hanukkah+OR+chanukah&btnG=Search+Froogle>
Of course, the last idea is not to give him something that is related
to Hanukkah. Had he been a Christian (as in the sense of not being
Jewish, not in the sense of being an Evangelical/Born-Again), would
you buy him for Christmas something that is "Christmas related" or
something general that he would like (a new tie, a gameboy, a good
book, all depends on the guy)? If he dates a non-Jewish woman, he
might be alienated from the gifts I just suggested, or from his
religion. In any case, you know him the best, and probably know what
would suit him.
I hope this answered your question. Please contact me if you need any
clarification on this answer before you rate it. |
