Hanukkah Ideas!

Well, we're past Thanksgivukkah and have had our Gobble Tov, but we're still celebrating Hanukkah because it lasts for 8 craaaazy night (thanks Adam Sandler). Need some ideas for around the house, for a party, or for the kids? Hopefully these will three ideas help get those creative juices flowin'!

First, I saw this post on Celebrations.com and thought it would be sooo easy, I could do it in 10 minutes or less. It's just a tin can candle holder, how hard could it be? Well, here are a couple tips for you DIY Jews out there -

1. Find a thin tin can, not a thick one. I used one that had previously been for holding vegetables and it was just right.

2. Draw a Star of David on a piece of paper and tape it to the can. This will help you tremendously. I originally thought needing a template would be a waste of time but believe me, you'll want to follow it!

3. Use a thumbtack, NOT a nail, and wearing gloves, hammer the thumbtack into the can. The reason for this is because the thumbtack will give you something to hold on to while a nail will slip right between your fingers. Trust me, it took me 10 minutes to realize this.

4. Once you've punched out your entire design, take off the paper and ta-da! Your very own Hanukkah candle holder!

                    

TOTAL COSTS: Free!
Assuming you have an empty tin can, paper and pencil, a hammer, and a thumbtack

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 30 minutes
Keep in mind it depends on how big your star is, how many holes you make, etc.

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5
It's not a difficult project, it's just hammering in the holes that might hurt your fingers after a while!


Ok, now that you've got some decorations, how about something for your stomach? These sweet treats I found on Nichole Heady's site looked delicious and festive!

All you need are:
1. Large marshmallows
2. Pretzels
3. Hershey's Kisses
4. Sprinkles
And might I recommend
5. Frosting (to "glue" the Hershey's Kisses to the marshmallow) and
6. Powdered sugar (to "glue" the sprinkles to the marshmallow)

It's pretty self-explanatory. The pretzel goes in one end of the marshmallow:

the Hershey's Kiss on the other, using frosting as "glue":

and using a little powdered sugar and water, mix them together to create a "glue", brush the marshmallow with the glue and cover it with sprinkles:

And there you have it! They're incredibly sweet but are sure to go quickly!

TOTAL COSTS: About $18 (assuming you don't have ingredients on hand - prices from Vons)
$2.99 for marshmallows
$3.99 for Hershey's Kisses
$3.29 for the pretzels
$1.99 for frosting
$2.99 for sprinkles
$2.59 for powdered sugar

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 5 minutes to make 6 dreidels

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5
This is something the kids could get involved with, so long as they don't eat all the ingredients before putting them together!


And finally, this would be a great activity for the kids! This actually comes to us from a website called MormonShare.com - a homemade scroll telling the story of Hanukkah!

All you need are two rolling pins, some paper (and tape if you don't have long enough paper), and some markers or crayons. Have the kids tell the story of Hanukkah through their drawings and I bet they'll have a better understanding than if they were just read the story year after year. Be creative, have fun, and join in!

TOTAL COSTS: Free!
Assuming you have paper, tape, crayons/markers, and two rolling pins

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: Depends on how much you draw!

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5
This would be a great Hanukkah activity to get the kids involved in and yourself as well!