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Sep 13, 2023

30 best Hanukkah gift ideas for your loved ones

Hanukkah is only days away — the holiday, which spans eight nights, starts on

Hanukkah is only days away — the holiday, which spans eight nights, starts on Dec. 18 this year. If you’re celebrating or attending a Hanukkah gathering, you may be looking for gifts for the loved ones in your life. Below, we rounded up a handful of ideas that adults and kids would be excited to unwrap.

SKIP AHEAD Best Hanukkah gifts for adults | Best Hanukkah gifts for kids and teens | Best Hanukkah Advent calendars | Best Hanukkah menorahs and candles | Best Hanukkah pajamas

To recommend the best Hanukkah gifts, we included products from brands we’ve previously covered, as well as gift ideas we think readers should know about based on our research into what people are searching for. We made sure to include gifts across a range of price points and interests.

During the holidays, your loved ones can sip their favorite hot or cold beverage from this 15-ounce mug. It's microwave- and dishwasher-safe, according to the brand.

Our Place's Shabbat Set gives at-home chefs everything they need to make meals that serve a crowd. The set comes with the brand's Oven Pan — which you can also use as a stovetop griddle — and a reusable, nonstick silicone Oven Mat that has a one-inch checker pattern you can use to measure dough with. A challah cover-up is also included, in addition to two beeswax candlesticks.

Welcome guests to your home for Hanukkah gathering with this door mat. It's woven from natural coconut fibers, and the brand says it is fade-resistant, so you can use the mat year after year. The mat is 1 inch thick and measures 36 inches by 22 inches.

This mini appliance makes 4-inch waffles with a dreidel pattern on one side and a classic griddle pattern on the back. The nonstick cooking surfaces help the waffle release when you’re ready to transfer it to a plate, according to the brand. The waffle maker comes with a recipe guide that provides instructions for making different waffle flavors, latkes and more.

Vahdam's tea set comes with four loose leaf blends you can steep to make hot or iced tea. Tea varieties include vanilla spiced masala chai tea, turmeric spiced herbal tea, chocolate vanilla herbal tea and hibiscus rush black tea. The set comes with enough tea to brew about 100 cups, the brand says.

"Oy vey" is a Yiddish phrase used to express grief or frustration, and some also use it to express excitement depending on the situation. Kule makes a line of oy vey gifts, like this shirt that's available in men's and women's sizes. The shirt has a straight cut and is made from a soft, lightweight Portuguese cotton, according to the brand.

Batch offers a curated set of goodies that you can ship to loved ones for the holiday. The box comes with a chocolate bar, soft chocolate-chip cookies from Partake (one of our favorite Black-owned businesses) and a little fortune for each night of the holiday. You can also add a customizable card to your order.

If you're attending a Hanukkah gathering and looking for a gift to bring the host, Baked By Melissa cupcakes are sure to be a crowd-pleaser. This gift box comes with a pack of 25 bite-size cupcakes in a variety of flavors, like Chocolate Babka, White Chocolate Hot Cocoa, Caramel Cake Batter and Snowcap. A holiday card is included with the sweet treats.

Ditch the standard fold-out card and opt for this pop-up option that showcases a paper bouquet you can use as a centerpiece. It stands about 10 inches tall and comes in a protective paper envelope. You can also choose to get a blank card with the bouquet or customize a card online for an additional $5.

As seen on Shark Tank, Mensch on a Bench is a Hanukkah take on Elf on the Shelf. It comes with a book that the brand says explains the eight rules of having a Mensch and helps introduce children to Jewish values and traditions. The Mensch is a plush doll and can be removed from the bench.

Kids can build and wire their own light-up menorah with this kit from KiwiCo. It comes with nine acrylic candles (plus four extras) kids can decorate using stencils and sandpaper. When placed in the base, the decorated candles light up in multiple different colors.

Before playing a game of dreidel, kids can personalize their spinning tops with this kit from Mondo Llama. It includes two wooden dreidels, a paintbrush, four paint pots, sticks and glitter glue.

Making jelly doughnuts — also called sufganiyot in Hebrew — is a fun activity for kids to do with older family members or friends during Hanukkah. The kit provides the ingredients you need to to bake a dozen doughnuts — like a baking mix, yeast, finishing sugar, a piping bag and tip. Once you bake or dry the doughnuts, you can add your favorite jelly, cocoa spread or nut butter to the pastry bag to fill the pastries. The kit also comes with a recipe and directions to follow.

Making and decorating cupcakes is another DIY baking activity kids can participate in during the holiday. Williams Sonoma created this set with Erica Tucker from Sweet E's Bake Shop in California. It comes with six vanilla funfetti cupcakes and six chocolate cupcakes, as well as a Hanukkah sprinkle candy mix and white-and-blue swirled buttercream frosting.

A suitable gift for the teen girl in your life, BaubleBar offers Hanukkah earrings sold in a set of three pairs: menorahs, Hanukkah sweaters and jelly doughnuts. The earrings have post-back closures and are nickel-free for those with sensitive ears, the brand says.

Sloomoo Institute's Menorah Bundle comes with eight 4-ounce containers of slime kids can play with during the holiday. Each type of slime is a different color and scent, like cinnamon sugar, tutti frutti, chocolate, vanilla cupcake and more.

Kids who love stuffed animals can play and cuddle with this Hanukkah-themed option. It comes with a festive shirt and a plush dreidel.

Compartes — a brand featured on Oprah's Favorite Things this year — designed its Hanukkah Chocolate Gift Box with nine pieces of chocolate. It gives you one piece to eat on each night of Hanukkah, plus a bonus piece, which the brand says is like the ninth candle on the menorah. Chocolates have blue and gold decorations on top.

Packed in a menorah-shaped box, your loved ones can enjoy a variety of snacks and wine from Harry and David this Hanukkah. Each night of the holiday, your giftee opens a new part of the container to reveal red and white wine, candied peanut squares, milk chocolate truffles, yogurt-covered pretzels and more.

Countdown the nights of Hanukkah with this gift box from Sugarfina. It comes with eight four-piece tasting packs filled with the brand's chocolates, caramels, Heavenly Sours, Cold Brew Cordials, Champagne Bubbles and more.

Each night of Hanukkah, your or your giftee can enjoy a hair-care product hidden behind the doors of this Advent calendar. It comes with eight products in total, some of which are full-size bottles, while others are mini versions. Hair-care products include shampoo, conditioner, hair oil, detangling toning mist and a keychain from the brand.

West Elm's Marble & Brass Menorah is a departure from the traditional candelabra shape and instead offers a more elegant, minimalist style. It's made of rough hewn marble and holds nine taper candles.

Leaving lit candles out may be out of the question if you have kids or pets. This menorah is designed with LED lights, allowing you to light candles one by one for each night of Hanukkah using a built-in button. The menorah can be powered by an AC adapter, USB cable or batteries. You can also choose if you want the lights to blink, flicker or to have a chasing effect. The menorah comes in blue, light blue, white and silver.

If you already have a menorah but don't want to use lit candles during Hanukkah, you can opt for these flameless taper candles instead. They're designed with the brand's Infinity Wick flame, which is a little light powered by batteries. The candles come in a set of 10 and with a remote.

Homesick says it created this candle to smell reminiscent of both potato latkes dipped in applesauce and jelly donuts. It gives off a baked apple, butter and potato fragrance with notes of pomegranate, pound cake, vanilla, sugar and musk. The candle is made from a natural soy wax blend and a cotton wick. The brand says it has a burn time of between 60 and 80 hours.

Instead of leaving Hanukkah candles in a drawer or storing them out of sight, display them in this gold storage box. It's designed to fit the taper candles you use with a menorah, and it comes with a lid that has a dreidel on top.

Hanna Andersson's machine-washable Hanukkah-print pajama set comes with pants and a long sleeved shirt. The pajamas are made from organic cotton and have smooth flatlock seams, the brand says. Adults can purchase matching Hanukkah flannel pajama tops and bottoms, and the brand also offers matching dog pajamas.

This family pajama set is decorated with a Hanukkah lion print — lion characters are scattered across the tops and bottoms and can be seen lighting candles, spinning dreidels and more. The pajamas come in men's, women's, toddler, baby and kids’ sizes, as well as plus sizes. You can also purchase matching dog and cat pajamas, as well as matching socks and a blanket.

Gap's Hanukkah flannel pajama set glows in the dark — when the lights are off, the menorahs illuminate. The set comes with a long sleeve top that has a four button closure on the front, a spread collar and a patch pocket. The matching bottoms are designed with an elastic waistband, adjustable drawstring and pockets. You can purchase the pajamas in men's, women's and kids’ sizes so the whole family matches, and Gap also makes Hanukkah themed apparel for cats and dogs.

To make a baby's first Hanukkah even more special, gift them this themed zipper footie pajama. It's made from Pima cotton, according to the brand, and has a snap-down zipper guard and zipper front. The long-sleeve pajama is machine-washable and comes in sizes 0 to 3 months, 3 to 6 months, 6 to 9 months and 9 to 12 months.

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Zoe Malin is an associate updates editor for Select on NBC News.