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How to make Chanukah special?



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amother
OP


 

Post Sun, Dec 01 2019, 3:58 pm
Anyone have any ideas how I can make Chanukah special this year for my family? Any traditions I can start? Chanukah is always blah in my house I want to make it more exciting!! Thanks!
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amother
Goldenrod


 

Post Sun, Dec 01 2019, 4:02 pm
We buy dreidels filled with candy.
We watch The Lights.
We make latkes and donuts (sufganiyot and donuts in a donut maker) at home.
We have Chanukah music playing.
We have each boy light his own menorah near his room.
We give Chanukah gelt every night.
We watch the livestreamed menorah on the White House lawn.
We play dreidel as a family.
We have the kids roll the wicks from cotton balls.
We have an unofficial contest to see whose menorah will last longer.
We give out chocolate gelt every day.
We sing Haneros Halalu all together.
We love Chanukah!

(I know families who dance together after lighting the menorah, which is also really beautiful.)
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amother
Puce


 

Post Sun, Dec 01 2019, 4:04 pm
we have a scavenger hunt
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DVOM




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 01 2019, 4:11 pm
I love Chanukah so much!

Here are some things we do to make it special:

We sing and dance after candle lighting.
We go all out for Chanukah suppers. We make latkas, buy doughnuts. We also let each kid pick what he wants to make for supper one night so everyone has one night that we serve his favorite.
We build our own menorahs. Sometimes this is out of lego, sometimes wood... this year my kids and my husband are building one out of old bricks and cement.
Each boy gets a takeaway cup of coco with marshmellos and we take a frosty walk around the neighborhood to see all the menorah's lit up.
We play draidle with jellybeans.
One or two nights we invite a family we don't know very well but want to get to know better over for candle lighting and dinner. This is one of my favorite traditions.
We have a family chanuka party with cousins.
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asmileaday




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 01 2019, 4:13 pm
DVOM wrote:
I love Chanukah so much!

Here are some things we do to make it special:

We sing and dance after candle lighting.
We go all out for Chanukah suppers. We make latkas, buy doughnuts. We also let each kid pick what he wants to make for supper one night so everyone has one night that we serve his favorite.
We build our own menorahs. Sometimes this is out of lego, sometimes wood... this year my kids and my husband are building one out of old bricks and cement.
Each boy gets a takeaway cup of coco with marshmellos and we take a frosty walk around the neighborhood to see all the menorah's lit up.
We play draidle with jellybeans.
One or two nights we invite a family we don't know very well but want to get to know better over for candle lighting and dinner. This is one of my favorite traditions.
We have a family chanuka party with cousins.


I love all your ideas! Can we be invited over as the next family you want to get to know LOL ?
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Teomima




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 01 2019, 4:23 pm
I love Chanukah! The whole extended family gets together for a latka party. We go nuts, like four or five kinds of latkas (the carrot ginger ones are my favorite). And in my own family, my kids and I make a gingerbread house together (from scratch). They spend weeks planning the design, we go buy candy for the decoration together, and the assembly alone takes at least two days. Then we all eat it at the aforementioned latka party.

The kids all have different days off school/preschool/daycare, so I try to make special plans based on who's available. So for example if only my older kids are home, we might go to a museum or something that is easier and more enjoyable without the little ones underfoot. They all know Chanukah means special activities like this so it's another thing that makes the holiday special. Oh, and we spend the whole month leading up to it listening to all the awesome Chanukah parodies. Our favorites are the Maccabeats' "All About That Neis" and six13's parody of "Shake it Off".
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 01 2019, 4:30 pm
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Anyone have any ideas how I can make Chanukah special this year for my family? Any traditions I can start? Chanukah is always blah in my house I want to make it more exciting!! Thanks!

We spread things out so every night is special.
1 night we make donuts.
The next night is latkes.
1 night we play dreidel (dairy chocolate coins or nickels make it even more fun)
1 night we give out Chanukah gifts.
Friday night make an extra special dinner.
Turn up the maccabeats and dance. Very Happy
Little things like that.
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gingertop




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 01 2019, 4:42 pm
I do whatever I can to prep in advance. Cram my freezers with anything remotely freezable. Get all the paper goods, candles and centerpieces. Prepare games, buy dreidels.
Then we get to enjoy the baking, frying and games we do during Chanukah itself.

During Chanukah, we do messy things like donuts with fillings and toppings, cookie dough dreidels, blasting music while we do crafts, different tablescapes every night with food faves.
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HonesttoGod




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 01 2019, 6:49 pm
Every night we do something small.
Some nights itโ€™s doughnuts.
One night we make latkes
One night weโ€™ll go to see manhattan at night or Bryant Park x-mas market.
One night we have presents
Etc.
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pause




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 01 2019, 7:03 pm
The first night I make a "party" for my husband and kids with fancy food, a nice food-oriented centerpiece, Chanuka decorations, a gift for everyone, game of dreidel. I've been doing this since my oldest was 2 because k"ah we have many chanuka parties, and I felt like we were losing out as an immediate family, spending time together, relaxing, and bonding. If for some reason we have a different party the first night, and ours is pushed off to the second night, my kids are disappointed. They really look forward to this one.

We have parties at my parents, my in-laws, my grandmother, sometimes a neighbor, a family friend, my sisters (without my parents and without our husbands). On the remaining nights we're home, we make a different special Chanuka food each night: latkes, Chanuka cookies, donuts, cheese blintzes, or other milchigs.

My kids love Chanukah!
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Rivka10




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Dec 01 2019, 8:33 pm
Off topic, but does anyone know any good Chanukah music for parties? I have such a hard time finding any frum stuff I like.
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amother
Ecru


 

Post Mon, Dec 02 2019, 12:20 am
We live far away from family but my children of great Chanukah memories. We eat dinner together, in the dining room near the menorah, every night. I try to present the food in a nice/fun but easy way. On paper chanukah plates, veggies in the shape of a menorah, etc.
We also play a different game every night, sometimes something silly but fun, and I try to give a small gift every night - mostly dollar store items. My children range from older teens to toddlers and everyone enjoys it.
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yiddishmom




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Dec 02 2019, 1:54 am
We all sit around the menorah and sing for approx half hour.
Then my mother serves something special every night: cheese latkes, sufganiyot, expensive milchig chocolate, blintzes, potato latkes.
Our dinners on Chanukah are usually also more lavish, more side dishes, etc. Usually a couple of fried dishes too ๐Ÿ˜‹๐Ÿ˜‹ in the spirit of the holiday.
The young children decorate the house with chanukah themed decorations.
One night we do a grab-bag between all of us siblings.
We also host a few chanukah parties for our different extended families.

Last year was my first chanukah as a married woman. I know many young couples like buying each other gifts for chanukah. Hubby is very particular about his stuff and doesn't like too many things. I decided instead of buying gifts, I'll write him a nice note that he can read every night after lighting the menorah. A note with something I appreciate about him, or something I thank him for. He LOVED it. I am iyH gonna do it this year too and would love to incorporate it later on with my children too.
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Ruchel




 
 
    
 

Post Mon, Dec 02 2019, 4:46 am
We're big on Chanuka

I don't know how my husband feels about boys lighting but we're not there yet (oldest ds is 7). We go to at least two lightings, one "big" with stuff, one "weird" like a random place, small restaurant, a shop or pharmacy rofl

Dreidel

Chanuka gelt

fritters

We decorate (people arent big on decorating private homes, like you won't see xmas homes)

sing dance draw

We very much try to see/have family over at least once, occasionally someone comes from abroad
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