The best Hanukkah gift is one that fits the way the recipient's family celebrates and stays in use long after the eighth candle. Hanukkah (חֲנֻכָּה, dedication; also spelled Chanukah) begins at sundown on Friday, December 4, 2026, and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12. Below are customs that vary from home to home, gift ideas by recipient, and advice on choosing a mezuzah with a kosher scroll.
Our scrolls are handwritten in Israel by Certified Sofrei STaM (סוֹפְרֵי סְתָ״ם, scribes of sacred texts). Our in-house Certified Sofer checks every scroll letter by letter, to ensure 100% kashrut.
Hanukkah 2026 Dates and the Two Friday Nights
The first candle is lit on the evening of Friday, December 4, because the Jewish day begins at sundown. The eighth candle is lit on Friday, December 11, and the holiday ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12. That means the first and the eighth nights both fall on a Friday, when Shabbat begins.
On both Fridays the Hanukkah lights are lit first, before the Shabbat candles, with enough oil or long-burning candles to last at least half an hour after nightfall. The second night, Saturday, December 5, is lit only after Shabbat has ended. Lighting times are local, so we do not print a clock time here. For how the lights are set out and the blessings, see how to light the menorah.
The custom of kindling lights on each night of Hanukkah is discussed in the Talmud, and you can read the page at Shabbat 21b on Sefaria.
Hanukkah Gift Customs: Ask First
There is no single rule that every family follows. Some families give gelt (the Yiddish word for money, often small coins or chocolate coins) to children. Some give a small gift on each of the eight nights. Some give one larger gift, and some exchange nothing at all and put the effort into the meal and the lighting. Giving something every night is a modern, family-chosen habit, so treat it as one option and not as an obligation.
If you are not sure, ask the family or a mutual friend, for example: "Do you exchange gifts on Hanukkah, and is it one gift or every night?" A host or a parent will usually be glad to tell you. When you cannot ask, a single thoughtful item for the household is the safest choice, because it does not assume an eight-night habit.
Hanukkah Gift Picks by Recipient
These are the pieces we would give ourselves. Each one is shown with its price, and each suits a different kind of recipient. For gifts made for the holiday itself, browse the Hanukkah Collection, or try the Jewish Gifts collection for something the recipient can keep all year.
- A child. The Little Ballerina in Pink Mezuzah ($32.95) is a bright first mezuzah for a bedroom doorway. More designs for young people are in the Children's Mezuzahs collection.
- A nursery or a baby. The Pink and Yellow Baby Blocks Mezuzah ($40.00) suits a nursery door.
- A couple. The Eden Floral Pewter Mezuzah ($39.99) is a floral pewter piece for the door of their first home.
- A new home. The Starlight Pewter Mezuzah ($59.99) shows a little house under a crescent moon and stars, with a Shin above it.
- A host. The Open the Sea Blue Pewter Mezuzah ($31.00) is blue enamel on silver-toned pewter, with Hebrew text from the story of the splitting of the sea.
- An adult friend or relative. The Old City Pewter Mezuzah ($32.00) is a pewter piece with Hebrew inscriptions and enamel.
- Someone who has everything. A Mezuzah Store Gift Card ($36 to $1,000) lets them choose the case and the scroll themselves.
Giving a Mezuzah for Hanukkah
A mezuzah (מְזוּזָה, doorpost) is a handwritten scroll of two Torah passages (Deuteronomy 6:4 to 9 and 11:13 to 21), kept in a case on the doorpost. The scroll is written on klaf (קְלָף, parchment), and the case is how we honor it: a handsome case is hiddur mitzvah (הִדּוּר מִצְוָה, beautifying a commandment). The case does not make the scroll kosher, but it should protect the scroll and let it be affixed properly, so within that the choice is the recipient's taste. For the full picture of scroll, case and mitzvah, read Mezuzah Basics.
Jewish tradition sees the mezuzah as bringing blessing and protection to a home through the mitzvah (מִצְוָה, commandment) of placing it on the doorpost. That is why it is such a loved gift for a first apartment, a wedding or a move. A card that wishes the family peace and blessing in their home says it well.
Look for Complete Your Mezuzah: Add a Kosher Scroll near Add to Cart on the case's page; ordered together, the scroll arrives sealed inside the case or separately in a clear acrylic protective tube, your choice. Every case has its own maximum scroll size, shown as Scroll Fit on that case's product page, and every size from 2.5-inch up to that maximum fits. Match the recipient's family custom and the case's listed Scroll Fit when choosing kosher mezuzah scrolls.
Scrolls come in the Ktav (כְּתָב, script) of each community: Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Chabad. The words are the same in all of them, and Ashkenazi vs. Sephardi explains how to choose. When you do not know the recipient's custom, ask them or a family member before you choose, or give a gift card.
If the recipient will hang the mezuzah themselves, add Strong Double-Sided Mezuzah Mounting Tape ($0.99), which also comes in 3, 5 and 6 inch lengths. Add Strong Silver Mezuzah Screws ($0.99) for a case with mounting holes. Our article on mounting tape explains what counts as well affixed: can you put a mezuzah up with mounting tape.
For more occasions and more picks, see our mezuzah gift guide.
Why a Mezuzah and Hanukkah Belong Together
Hanukkah means dedication, and many people think of the holiday when they put up a mezuzah in a home. The Talmud places the mezuzah on the right of the door and the menorah on the left, so a person entering the home is surrounded by mitzvot. The Mezuzah and Hanukkah tells the story of the link. A mezuzah stays in use after the eight nights have ended, which makes it different from a gift meant to be opened and set aside.
A Simple Eight-Night Hanukkah Gift Plan
If you decide to give something on each night, a plan keeps the cost and the choices manageable. This is only one way to do it, not a custom.
- Pick a total budget first, then divide it into one main gift and a few small ones.
- Give the main gift on the night the whole family is together, which is often the first night or the last.
- Use the other nights for small things such as gelt, a book, a game or a treat.
- Leave one or two nights without a gift and use them for an activity, such as a family meal or a game of dreidel, so the holiday is not only about presents.
- Keep the Friday nights in mind. The first and eighth nights fall on Friday, and many families are busy preparing for Shabbat, so a simple gift fits better than a complicated one.
What to Avoid When Giving Hanukkah Gifts
- Do not promise luck or outcomes. Write about blessing instead: the mitzvah of the doorpost, a home and a family.
- Do not guess the Ktav. If you do not know the family's custom, ask, or choose a gift card.
- Do not choose tefillin on impulse. Tefillin depend on the wearer's community custom, so they are a gift to buy only after the family or the rabbi has been consulted.
- Do not assume the family wants a gift every night. Check the custom first.
Ordering Hanukkah Gifts in Time
We recommend ordering by Tuesday, November 24 for delivery before the first night of Hanukkah on Friday, December 4. That is our recommended date, not a guarantee. A gift for a later night gives you more room, and an order with a case and a scroll ships with the scroll sealed inside or separately in a clear acrylic protective tube, your choice.
If you would rather the family choose, give a Mezuzah Store Gift Card. Choose a lasting gift for a host or family from our Jewish holiday gifts. You can also visit our Los Angeles store at 1440 1/2 S Robertson Blvd.
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