What is the deal with giving presents on Chanukah?

mommalah

Sun, Dec 02 2007, 9:21 pm

Hi all

I couldn't help but notice the thread on what pple are getting their dh for chanukah. There is no such concept in Jewish sources as far as I know with regard to giving gifts on Chanukah. All I have heard about is giving gelt to the children. IMO this is nothing more than an attempt to sort of follow in the ways of the non jews whose holiday falls out conveniently close to ours. It is so sad that the fact fact that some Jews do this makes non jews view Chanukah as the "Jewish x-mas". As if we have parallel holidays. I just don't get it, why are we doing this?

Maya ↓

Sun, Dec 02 2007, 9:26 pm

I don't have a problem with getting my husband a gift for Chanuka; I usually get him something for every YomTov.

But the gift giving became such a big thing that it IS almost like X-mas gift-giving. Everyone and anyone you know needs to get a gift. I went into a toy store in my neighborhood last week, wanting to buy a toy for my son. There wasn't an inch of space to move in this HUGE store. People were buying gifts in huge quantities.

What happened to all the complaints about rent, tuition and food being so expensive? If you can't afford the basics of living, then why is it suddenly a necessity to buy gifts for Chanuka??

louche

Mon, Dec 03 2007, 1:35 pm

Op, I agree with you 100%. Groweing up we got Chanuka gelt and anything else was considered non jewish.

JewishMother18 ↓

Mon, Dec 03 2007, 1:44 pm

I'm sure I'll get some "stone throwing" for this, but we buy our kids a gift for every light. We've always done it and I grew up with it as well.

The gifts are not big presents but usually something small like some nice bath oil for my DD, a small cookery book, a sefer for my DS, slippers, a new Shabbat shirt. We try to keep it to things that they "need" or that are symbolic. We don't give them "gelt" that's usually given by the grandparents.

I don't see any resemblence to the non-Jewish festival - the chagim are to be celebrated and celebration to me means festive meals and the giving of gifts - exactly the same as I would do for any of the other chagim.

shayna82 ↓

Mon, Dec 03 2007, 1:50 pm

I think gelt is the most symbolic, and little kids cant "do" anything with gelt, so we do it for them. we do a few small things, they will just grow up loving chanuka for parties and menorah not for expensive gifts- cuz to me that seems to much like the non jewish holiday.

brooklyn ↓

Mon, Dec 03 2007, 1:56 pm

Did anyone consider that the whole x-mas thing of gift giving and lights actually stem from Chanukah, and that in reality they are actually copying us rather than the other way around.

↑ shayna82 ↓

Mon, Dec 03 2007, 1:58 pm

I cant imagine that being, but who knows. I grew up always expecting more and more on chanuka, my husband grew up the opposite, with no hate feeligns against his parents or anyone.

to each their own, hey presents are fun anytime.

↑ brooklyn

Mon, Dec 03 2007, 2:06 pm

shayna82 wrote:

I don't find it to hard to imagine at all, back in the olden days before electric x-mas lights what was done, candles were placed in peoples windows, souds Chanukah like to me, also gelt has been given out to kids for ages, gifts could have evolved from that.

↑ shayna82

Mon, Dec 03 2007, 2:08 pm

maybe your right. but nowadays, the fact is, that its bascially known as a non jewish thing to get all into the gifts. I just read tht the average family spends $850 on gifts for the holiday. thats insane to me.

↑ JewishMother18

Tue, Dec 04 2007, 10:35 am

Quote:

wow that is insane

For tonight's gift I bought my boys new Shabbat shirts and for my daughter her favorite shampoo and conditioner which she doesn't buy for herself. I also bought them the one and only sufgania that I'll allow them to have. I hate them and hate how sweet and fattening they are but they are symbolic and I don't want to take the fun away for them - they are kids after all.

Happy Chanukah!

Ruchel

Tue, Dec 04 2007, 11:25 am

I never heard of not giving nice gifts to family and (maybe) close friends for Hanuka. On another board, some mothers complained that their kid had Xmas envy because of the festivity and gift giving the non jews did. Most Jews I know also decorate at least a bit. Every year my grandparents send me a package with Hanuka stuff, decorations, dreidels... love it! LOL

amother ↓

Mon, Dec 10 2007, 2:08 am

I'm a geyores and I happen to know the whole gift-giving Xmas thing does NOT come from chanuka, but the non jewish tradition and the story about guys bringing gifts for baby Yoshke. I'm sensitive about this and avoid giving chanuka presents...

↑ amother

Mon, Dec 10 2007, 2:39 am

yeah ditto that. geyores, and get so annoyed by gift-givign at channuka. don't do it. let the fam give the kids stuff if they want but we don't really do much more than a couple of little stuff and the gelt. we encourage our kids to give it to tzedaka anyway, but they have a choice of what to do with channuka gelt.

MiracleMama

Mon, Dec 10 2007, 12:46 pm

I agree that the gift-giving frenzy is non jewish. We don't do it. But I don't stand in the way of relatives who want to shower our son with gifts either. They would be so deeply hurt and I would look like an evil dictator.