What is Hanukkah?

Hanukkah is the celebration of a miracle. However, many are surprised that it is not a major holiday in the Jewish faith. The three major holidays in the Jewish faith are Rosh Hashanah, Passover, and Yom Kippur.

Many believe that the reason Hanukkah has gained widespread popularity is because of its close timing with Christmas. It has become commercialized throughout the years, just like Christmas. Often, the celebration of Hanukkah is more about getting together with family and friends than it is about gifts. However, many Jewish families see the joy that presents can bring, and it is for that reason that they give gifts. 

Hanukkah celebrates an event from around 200 B.C. The Syrians took control of Israel, which was mostly Jewish at the time. The authorities did not allow the Jewish people to practice their faith. A few farmers got together and rose against their oppressors.

After beating the Syrians, they learned they only had enough oil for one day to keep the temple’s flame lit. This fire is the flame that represents God’s everlasting presence.

It took eight days for them to be able to make more olive oil for this flame. The oil that should have only lasted for one day ended up lasting all eight days that it took them to make more oil. This miracle symbolizes the number of days that Hanukkah is celebrated.

During Hanukkah, people usually light a menorah, play dreidel, and eat potato pancakes called latkes. The menorah is a candle stand with eight candles, including one helper candle. To light the menorah, you start with the helper candle and then use that helper candle to light each of the other eight candles. You light one new candle each night.

After lighting these candles, you say a few prayers in Hebrew. The menorah should be in a prominent area of the house that is also visible to the outside. People often put it in the window in their main rooms of the house. Hanukkah is about praising God and being together with family and loved ones.

Gift-giving is a relatively new tradition. Many believe gift-giving for Hanukkah has to do with its proximity to Christmas.

However, giving gifts is just about spreading joy. When giving gifts for Hanukkah, it’s important to keep in mind that the tradition is usually more modest. Make sure the family celebrates gift-giving before bringing presents.

Some families spread the gift-giving across the eight days. Some separate by which family members gave them the gifts. So – grandparents give you gifts one day, your aunts and uncles give you gifts the other days, and your parents the other days. That way, there are presents on all eight days. 

Personal gifts are a great way to give presents this season. Pick out something personal for the both of you. If it is something you should wrap, check out our blog post on how to wrap presents. We have multiple different ways to make sure that the wrapping is as special as the gift.

We have great labels for Hanukkah. These are labels that you can stick on the presents to say who the present is from and who it is for. These labels can tie the present together, especially if you don’t have time to wrap.

Search for gifts in the traditional holiday colors of blue and white. You can get presents of practical use, personal meaning, and any other sort of thing you can think of. Some good gifts are pictures, home-cooked food, chocolate coins, and other whimsical trinkets.

You don’t have to go overboard with gift-giving on Hanukkah. You can also gift them experiences. Gifts like classes at the gym, local cooking classes, trip ideas, and more. Choose something personal for them, as putting thought into your gift will make them smile.

InStockLabels.com operates from USA. We make all our products in the U.S.A.

If you need something quickly, these labels are perfect. We will ship orders purchased before 1 PM MST on weekdays (not holidays) the same day. Then it only takes a few days for them to get to you (depending on how far you are).

Contact us if you have any questions or would like a sample of these labels to make sure they fit your needs. We also make custom labels if you can not find the perfect sticker for what you need. If you are looking for some fun white elephant gifts as well, be sure to check out our white elephant wish list post!