Make Hanukkah More Meaningful With 8 Nifty Nights

The most joyous of the Jewish holidays is often thrown into the bucket with other holidays rife with consumerism.  Yet there’s so much history, tradition, tasty cuisine, and family bonding involved in Hanukkah that it deserves a lot more credit.  Furthermore, it’s spread over 8 festive nights meaning tons more time to celebrate.

When you’re looking for ways to make your 8 nights of Hanukkah a little more meaningful and fun, check out these fast tips from Flutter FETTI®:

Night 1 – Invite the neighbors

A Hanukkah celebration is a great way to get together with good friends, whether they’re Jewish or not.  Begin your 8-night marathon in the company of others while enjoying a traditional feast, playing games, and drinking lots of kosher wine.  It will give your neighbors insight into your traditions and offer holiday joy too.  Plus, with a big group it’s easy to add excitement to the night by putting on some fun music, handing out 9″ Mazel Tov Swisher Pom-Poms with Metallic Confetti Streamers, and getting everyone up and dancing.

Night 2 – Play a dreidel game

Yes, it’s a bit cheesy, but when else do you get to use this little guy?  Play the traditional way with pennies in a pot or melt-in-your-mouth gelt (those little coin-shaped chocolates).  Change up the routine by going online to find a new version of the classic dreidel game.   It’s good old-fashioned family fun.

Night 3 – Enjoy Hanukkah-themed entertainment

Despite the never-ending onslaught of Christmas movies and music, there’s a strong selection of Hanukkah themed film and song too.  Spend a night watching “Eight Crazy Nights” or “A Rugrats Chanukah” and sing along to Adam Sandler’s “Hanukkah Song” or the Maccabeats humorous a cappella videos.

Night 4 – Cook something extra special

We all love a hearty brisket, fried potato latkes, and moist matzo ball soup.  When you’re allotted 8 nights to cook the same type of food, it’s appropriate to mix it up once in awhile.  Try delicious maple cream sweet potato soup, cheesy vegetable lasagna, or scrumptious herb-roasted chicken.  Don’t forget dessert!

Night 5 – Give back to the community

It may not be everyone’s idea of fun, particularly for the younger ones, but the feeling of giving back to the community is sometimes more joyful than anything else.  It’s also a good lesson to teach the children.  Spend time at an elderly center, adopt a family for the holiday, or collect donations for a local charity.

Night 6 – Have a candle race

Have everyone in the family pick the candle they expect to blow out last and winner gets all the gelt.  Betting isn’t the idea here – it’s family bonding time.  Candles on the menorah are a focal point of the Hanukkah tradition and playing an easy game gets the whole family involved.  While the candles are slowly running out, use that time to educate the kids on the holiday’s history.

Night 7 – Make arts and crafts

The traditional Hanukkah colors are blue and white and go beautifully in almost any household.   Break out the construction paper, popsicle sticks, and crayons and create everything from wall hangings to table mats.  Crafts can be edible too, like homemade cookies and cupcakes… mmm yummy!

Night 8 – Make it a true celebration

The last night of Hanukkah is the biggest night of all – eight lit candles, the whole family gathered together, and a big foodie feast.  We suggest stepping it up one notch and making it a real party featuring a big gift exchange, blue and white 9” Mazel Tov Confetti Swisher Pom-Poms with Flutter FETTI, and a dance-off.  It’s really up to you how you handle the holiday.  If you want to put the “WOW!” factor into your Hanukkah celebration, contact Flutter FETTI for more information.