Hanukkah Gifts

Giving gifts at Hanukkah does not have to be in the form of material gifts. Often just telling loved ones and friends how much you care about them and appreciate the things they do for you and others is better than buying them something they may only use once in awhile. The holiday spirit can and should be about people, not things.

People who are married and other couples can also benefit from the joy of sharing time together instead of focusing on getting just the right present for their mate.

The gift of time can make the difference of how close you feel to the other person as the years go on. Material gifts may be long gone or forgotten, but whats most memorable is spending time together which will last a lifetime.

Children must be taught about gift giving. By the time they are of school age, children are used to comparing birthday and holiday gifts with what other children receive. Many schools are so busy with holiday programs at that time of the year that they do not have enough time to spend on teaching children what is truly important. That means that the families become solely responsible for showing their children that material objects are not the only gifts that are important.

Married people and other couples can also benefit from the joy of sharing time together instead of focusing on getting just the right present for their mate. The gift of time can make the difference of how close you feel to the other person as the years go on. Material gifts may be long gone or forgotten, but the memory of spending time together will last a lifetime.

THanukkah was not intended to be as huge a gift-giving holiday as Christmas has become. People do give gifts during Hanukkah and also show their generosity to each other through mitzvah. Mitzvah, literally translated, means commandment. Mitzvah also has come to mean the act of doing good to one another. In our modern vernacular, it could be defined as a "random act of kindness." You can show generosity during Hanukkah in very ordinary ways such as helping a neighbor with a chore. Generosity can also be sharing a Hanukkah meal or giving a gift of gelt.