How to Host a Hanukkah Celebration

"Hanukkah is the festival of lights. Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights."

-Adam Sandler, The Hanukkah Song

Celebrate the Festival of Lights with a Hanukkah party complete with great decor, amazing food, and fun activities. Whether you celebrate by hosting an event on all eight nights or just one big celebration, these tips will ensure that your guests have a great time.

Decor: Hanukkah is observed by lighting one light of the Menorah for each night of the holiday, progressing to eight on the final night. Since the Menorah is so important, it should be at the center of your decor. If you don't own a Menorah or want a more decorative one, retail stores like Macy's now sell them. You can also find many creative ones online that you can buy or learn how to make. To enhance your table and other areas around the Menorah, set up linens, plates, balloons, and other decor in the traditional Hanukkah colors of silver, blue and white. You can also hang images of the Star of David, the religious symbol of the Jewish faith. Bags of gelt (chocolate coins) can be placed on each plate. Decorations that are also edible are always a hit!

Food: All food served at a Hanukkah meal should be as festive as the decor. Foods served are those cooked in oil, as it represents the oil found in the Temple of Jerusalem. Typical dishes served include fried latkes, braised brisket, and jelly-filled donuts (called sufganiyot). Not only are these dishes symbolic but they're delicious! To mix things up, you can try something new like having a latkes bar with a variety of toppings that guests can choose, including apple sauce, sour cream, horseradish, or tomato and roasted garlic relish. For dessert, serve up some kugel, rugalach, or blintzes. Don't forget some kosher wine!

Activities: The lighting of the menorah can be an activity in itself if guests are at the celebration after sundown. Call up different guests and have each one of them light a candle. The dreidel game is a traditional game played at Hanukkah celebrations. Printable instructions for the game can be found here. Gift giving is also a major part of Hanukkah. Make it extra fun by pulling names from a hat to see who you'll give a gift to, or do a Yankee swap! Since you'll have eight nights of gift giving, the gifts are typically small and inexpensive so you don't have to get too extravagant.