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Refresh Your Decor for the Festival of Lights
Hanukkah is a time to celebrate with your loved ones, and bring the warmth and joy of the holiday into your home. With many family and friends coming by to partake in Hanukkah celebrations, now is an excellent time to change up your holiday decor. A little refresh to some of your existing decorations can make your home feel even more festive when the celebrations start.
Though this Jewish holiday dates back to the second century B.C., your Hanukkah decorations aren’t required to remain traditional. Bring a little joy home with some respectful yet modern takes on conventional Hanukkah decor.
1. A Hand-Painted Menorah
The menorah is the centerpiece of this traditional holiday—everyone knows exactly what it is. Transforming this Hanukkah fixture with a modern style can drastically change up your holiday decor with a chic result. Whether you find a beautiful menorah online, or paint one yourself, you can update the look and feel of your Hanukkah decorations.
Get the Hexagons Hand Painted Ceramic Menorah at Judaica for $32.99.
2. Metal “Happy Hanukkah” Banner
Hanukkah decorations can be sweet and simple. Celebrate the holiday with a 72-inch banner that reads “Happy Hanukkah” in gold. Clean and uncomplicated decor like this can be hung virtually anywhere in the home, and combined with other holiday decorations to really make an impression.
The letters and dreidels on these banners are made of metal, which means that they’ll probably last a lot longer than a traditional paper banner—you should be able to display this year after year.
Get the Happy Hanukkah Gold Banner at Target for $15.
3. Festive Table Runner
Hanukkah is all about loved ones and celebrating. Gathering around a table helps bring people together, making the holiday more special. A white tablecloth is the perfect building block for decorating a table. Add a Hanukkah-themed table runner, and you have a beautiful backdrop for your meal. All that’s left is to cover it with favorites such as donuts, pancakes, cheesy foods, and latkes.
Get the DII Store Hanukkah 14 inches x 70 inches Table Runner at Amazon for $19.20.
4. Metallic and Felt Ball Garland
With blue, white, and silver featured on this modern garland, the only Hanukkah color missing is gold. Understated, yet elegant, a stylish garland such as this can hang from a shelf, mantle, or over a tall doorway. Due to its simplicity, this Hanukkah decoration doesn’t have to be boxed up once the holiday ends. It’s simple enough to make one yourself using felt balls, silver beads, and white twine; otherwise you can purchase one online.
Get the Gracie and Marie Metallic Hanukkah Felt Ball Garland is available on Etsy, priced from $15.
5. Brass Dreidel
Traditional dreidels are typically made from wood, plastic, or clay. This well-known Hanukkah game is a staple in Jewish households, so why not give it a modern update? A slight twist on the typical material, these brass handmade dreidels make a beautiful statement in the home—whether or not it’s being used to win the tokens in the pot.
As these particular dreidels are made in Israel, the letters stamped on them mean “a big miracle happened here,” instead of “a big miracle happened there,” as you typically find in the diaspora.
Get the Handmade Brass Dreidel from Moderntribe for $46.
6. Ombre Menorah Candles
Keep the candlelight burning for the eight nights of Hanukkah by stocking up on long, narrow candles. Add a pop of color to your menorah with ombre candles, which you can either buy readymade at Crate and Barrel, or make yourself.
Customizing your own candles is very simple when you follow the instructions on the DIY tutorial from The Pretty Life Girls. All you need are plain white menorah candles, candle dye, a heat-resistant bowl, and a melting pot. Coat your candles with layers of blue, gold, and silver to embrace the colors of the holiday—just be careful not to make your candles too thick, otherwise they may not fit in your menorah.
Buy the Blue Ombre Menorah Candles at Crate and Barrel for $14.95.
7. Dinnerware
As Hanukkah is a holiday to enjoy quality time with your family and eat a lot of good, traditional food, new dinnerware is sure to garner some attention. As guests take food off the serving platters, the attractive design of this Hanukkah decoration is revealed.
The mosaics on these platters and plates feature the Star of David within artwork reminiscent of Moorish Spain. Historically, the Jews and Muslims lived in relative harmony, which explains some overlap in their artistic trends—which are displayed on this gorgeous Hanukkah dinnerware.
Get the Blue Mosaic Dinnerware Collection from Williams Sonoma, priced from $49.95.
8. Personalized Throw Pillow
When mealtime ends, and guests migrate into the living room, you have another opportunity to impress them with trendy decor. Add some personalized Hanukkah decorations, such as some cozy throw pillows to turn your decor into a conversation piece.
These 12 inch by 18 inch linen pillows feature a simple script font that reads Happy Hanukkah, and you can have your family name—or another message of your choice—added to the fabric. Not only are these pillows a nice decoration, but they also make chairs and couches a bit more comfortable.
Get the Willow Creek Company Personalized Hanukkah Pillow at Etsy, priced from $28.50.
9. Wooden Bead Garland
A beautiful silver, white and blue garland can be placed almost anywhere to add a touch of Hanukkah decor to a tabletop, mantle, or serving tray. This is another Hanukkah decoration that is great to buy or an easy DIY.
Making your own beaded garland is super simple, and can be constructed using any type of beads in the traditional Hanukkah colors. Personalize this decoration even further by hand painting the beads to precise shades of blue, white, silver, and gold. To make your beaded garland more modern, use a thick silver cord to string the beads together. Beaded garlands are a modern take on a timeless classic.
Get the Bulldog and Co. Wooden Bead Garland from Etsy for $15.
Prices are accurate as of publication on November 28, 2022.