Why did chanukah become the gift giving chag?

amother

↑ Dandelion

Yesterday at 4:16 pm

amother Bisque wrote:

I grewc up in the 70's and we got chanukah gifts.

I had heard that chanukah gifts came first. Then xmas took it from us, and we switched to giving gelt so as not to be like the xtians. No idea if thats true or not, but obviously, if there are great grandparents who were giving gifts, it is a custom for some.

So you are my fathers age and he also got gifts as a child. Gifts are not new.

amother

Daffodil

Yesterday at 10:58 pm

amother OP wrote:

But so what? It should make no difference. I always knew that x-mas was very near, time wise to chanukah. But I always knew that that was their holday and not mine. It never occurred to me that we should get presents. It had nothing to do with chanukah.

Peer pressure. My sisters kids get amaaaaazzzing gifts every night of Chanuka so we had to do at least one big gift and then other treats the other nights. We skip the first night as the newness of lighting the Menorah, eating latkas and playing dreidel is enough and the promise of a big gift on the second night, kept the kids happy. We skip Friday night and Motzai Shabbos as well. There are always family parties where they get some treat from a grandparent, so that takes care of 2 more nights.
Somehow we end up not the cheapest but not the most extravagant- exactly where we want to be.

B'Syata D'Shmya

Yesterday at 11:01 pm

amother Bisque wrote:

From chabad.org

https://www.chabad.org/theJewi.....m.htm

From what I've seen, both chanukah gift giving and xmas gifts evolved at the same time more or less.

Toy industry came up with it. Like the card industry came up with giving Birthday Cards etc.
And if you grew up in the 70s, please tell me you did not get a new gift every night of Chanuka - unless your parents were wealthy.

nylon

Today at 12:37 am

I grew up traditional but not frum (so public school, etc) in the 1980s and we got gifts. It wasn't always 8, but what my parents would do was there would be several presents and we would do one each night. Some were small, you would get one or two bigger presents (depending on just how big they were). My grandparents gave us gelt.

I give gifts, but nothing huge. I have non-Jewish friends and what some of their kids get, I can't believe.

amother

↑ Dahlia

Today at 12:44 am

B'Syata D'Shmya wrote:

Even now who gets one every night?

amother

Broom

Today at 12:44 am

amother OP wrote:

No other chag is like that.
The only thing I can think of is that it comes out around x-mas time and people in countries that also celebrate x-mas did not want their children to feel left out.
But that must be a recent thing. I grew up in america, with no gift giving. We got a chocolate macabee every night and we played dreidel and ate latkes.

But why the gift giving? its not x-mas.

Not everyone does this. Our kids get some gelt. That's it.

amother

↑ Wine

Today at 12:49 am

amother Dahlia wrote:

Even now who gets one every night?

One gift in the $20 range per kid.

Then it's treats or tchatchkes other nights. Just for the festivity. Like a treat at the end of a scavenger hunt, a family gift found by unwrapping a large box in a pass the ball-spin the dreidel game, gag gifts, and more.

Fun, gifts and good memories.

amother

Amethyst

Today at 12:56 am

I think it started years back when it was common for Jewish children to go to public school and to be friendly with their non Jewish neighbors. The non Jews had xmas and the Jews had Chanukah. Chanukah gifts were given so that the Jewish children would be happy to celebrate Chanukah and to prevent them from being jealous of their neighbors and chv wanting to celebrate Xmas instead …

miami85

Today at 12:57 am

It is supposed to be a gift to honor the Torah learning of the children. So I try that each night is "sponsored" by a different family member who is proud of them. Our gift to our children is usually the last night. But sometimes, especially Friday night it's usually chocolate gelt or a party with cousins.

amother

Wheat

Today at 2:19 am

B'Syata D'Shmya wrote:

I grew up inbthe late seventies and beginning of the eighties. We got one large (expensive) gift, and we could choose which night we got it. The other nights we got a small gift. Fancy socks, chocolate coins, mini craft kit, and similar. We were also expected to give gifts, though not every night, to parents, grandparents and siblings. When we were little our parents would coach us and provide the money. As we got older and started earning money, we would fund it ourselves.

amother

Obsidian

Today at 2:31 am

I buy a few games that we play together and crafts that we do and donuts that we eat and a present for the toddler or stuff the other kids need anyways it’s more fun to give it on chanuka.

banana123

Today at 2:57 am

Success10 wrote:

Toy sales being advertised everywhere. In Chareidi areas. It’s a thing here.

The same sales were advertised for R"H and Sukkot. What else will you do with kids who have off for an entire week? Of course you buy something to keep them busy.

But I don't see the Chanuka ribbons, decorations, themed cookies and pajamas that I grew up with. And my kids have never come home talking about their friends' Chanuka presents.

amother

Cream

Today at 3:52 am

I am BT and we celebrated xmas when I was a kid until I was maybe 6? We didn't celebrate Chanukka or any jewish holidays. When I started becoming frum at 16 I asked to celebrate chanukka at home and we did. But I do have very fond memories of Xmas, I still remember the joy and excitement and so I decided to encorporate that into Chanukka. It's more for myself I guess because it's difficult for me to hear the songs and see the decorations and I just kind of miss this feeling. I truely believed in Santa and the whole magic as a kid Smile

and now I get to spread 8 days of excitement and gifts and I find it fun. And hopefully my kids will have those wonderful memories and that feeling when they think about Chanukka and my memories will maybe fade one day. I do feel a bit guilty even though I know we never celebrated because of Jsus birth and only did the whole Santa thing but still. It's a weird feeling to see an xmas tree and get nostalgic.