I have many thoughts about Hanukkah decorations, the commercialization of the holiday and the most recent wave of ritual items. Each of my opinions contradicts the next: It’s fun to see Hanukkah decorations in the wild! Hanukkah is not Christmas! I love Christmas decorations! Most of the Hanukkah stuff out there is ugly! There isn’t enough of it! Capitalism is bad! I need every single one of these $72 dreidels!
Basically the inside of my head sounds like a Jewish focus group who was just handed a HomeGoods pillow that says “Oy to the World!”
To get some clarity, I wanted to hear about decorating for Hanukkah from people whose style I admire and who make beautiful things. They shared thoughtful and helpful tips, and while their answers didn’t quite solve my conflicting thoughts, they did help clear a path to understanding what matters when it comes to getting caught up in the holiday decorating industrial complex.
Susan Korn, Founder of Susan Alexandra
Susan’s ideal Hanukkah decor setup: “Abundance and food. Lots of cozy seating areas, lots of seltzer and lots of good, connective conversations.”
How to achieve the bright, whimsical Susan Alexandra vibes when decorating for Hanukkah: “I think we need to rescue Hanukkah from blue/silver jail and open it up to all the colors in the rainbow! Ideally Hanukkah is a time for gathering, good food, good people and beautiful ambiance. Let’s play and have fun!”
Madison Safer, the artist behind one of the coziest Hanukkah scenes of all time, on how to create that coziness in your own home:
“Try decorating with homemade crafts. Hanukkah is a long holiday which means there’s plenty of time to decorate as you go! Whether it’s hanging up some cozy banners, painting your own dreidel, or framing some nice Hanukkah cards around the home, it’s nice to have something personal for the holiday.
Bring something old to the new. For the first few nights, I love to use some vintage tablecloths and antique menorah for a more haimish feeling. Whether it’s eating latkes or playing dreidel, setting the scene can make the night feel a little cozier.
Less can be more. My Hanukkah splurge every year is really nice beeswax candles. The candles smell so warm and they look gorgeous lit in the window. Finding just one thing to be excited about, from an eclectic menorah to some vintage salt and pepper shakers, can make the experience decorating for Hanukkah a little more enjoyable.”
Leah Raley, my Jewish summer camp friend/interior designer whose Instagram is beautiful but private, sorry
Leah’s holiday decor hot take: “Okay, I know this can be controversial, but… I love garlands! Garlands aren’t just for Christmas, they have been used in seasonal decor since antiquity. They’re a symbol of the beauty of nature. I find it festive and beautiful and it helps to curate a classic and fresh-feeling holiday ambiance. If the pine gives you Christmasy vibes, try making garland out of eucalyptus instead.”
How to incorporate the bow trend: “Bows are so in right now, and I’m here for it. I’ll be using an abundance of velvet bows in dusty blue, creamy off white and light tan brown. I also love groups of taper candles for a simple centerpiece or on a mantel or sideboard. I’m creating a vignette of small brass candle holders of varying heights and cream taper candles tied with velvet bows with the ends left too long.”
On the rise of Hanukkah items at Target: “Growing up Jewish in the south, we had to order our Hanukkah wrapping paper from our teeny synagogue gift shop catalogue. I still get giddy when the entire end cap goes up at Target. I stand in front of it wide-eyed and wanting to bring every item home just because it exists… an entire end cap!! I remind myself to achieve the intentional simple beautiful Hanukkah vibe that I’m going for, curation is key. I plan to grab the adorable sufganiyot stuffy for my kids’ playroom this year, and keep the overall decor more elevated.”
Suzy Ultman, artist and author of “I Like Your Chutzpah”
The inspiration behind Suzy’s Hanukkah decorations: “My parents always enjoyed handmade fun around the holidays. My dad’s latke making was a production filled with singing, laughing and stories of burnt latkes past. My mom baked and decorated with homespun flair. I inherited their enthusiasm for weaving crafting into the holiday season. So, my Hanukkah holiday decor always includes colorful cookies, mantels dripping with festive paper garlands, personalized wrapping paper and hand-made cards.”
How to achieve the playful feeling of a Suzy Ultman piece when decorating for Hanukkah: “Make something from the heart! And, if you need some guidance, head over to my Creative Bug class where I transform everyday recyclables into handcrafted holiday wonders – gift tags, garlands, menorahs and more.”
Audrey Gelman, Founder of The Six Bells
Audrey’s Hanukkah inspiration: “I’m a child of the ‘90s, so my favorite Hanukkah memories are from a time when nobody was on their phones. Everyone was just loud, Jewish and eating. When my family gets together to celebrate, I have a big menorah collection (antiques and new ones) so I like to set them all out on the table together. My dad is a cantor and makes the best latkes so he’s usually commandeering my kitchen. My kids do a lot of crafts (this is a new kit I like).
How to achieve a traditional, Six Bells-inspired look when decorating for Hanukkah: “So much contemporary Hanukkah decor leans sleek and modern, which is lovely, but not quite our bag. Our Hanukkah collection is rooted in the past: handmade and folk-inspired. New this year is our hand-carved, old-world wood menorah, already a favorite around here, and we’ve brought back the beloved trompe-l’oeil porcelain menorah, too. We’ve also added hand-painted menorah cookies and a hand-painted Festival of Lights candle to round out the collection.”
Tips for Hanukkah decorating from Leonora Epstein, writer of the design newsletter ‘Schmatta’:
“From a design perspective, I find most Hanukkah decor to be utterly, unilaterally uninspiring. If it’s not infantilizing, it’s overly fussy and traditional. Part of the problem, I think, is that the ‘Hanukkah’ blue, when paired with white or yellow, feels very ‘varsity sports logo’ to me. For me, the ideal Hanukkah setup feels surprising and playful, even edging on kooky. My suggestions…
Find a silver tablecloth that feels tacky in a way that you could almost see Urban Outfitters selling it for $125. Then adjust the blue hue with your dishware. I like any of the East Fork pieces in the Heron glaze, which is more of a grayish-blue. If you can find it, Ittala has a deep greenish-blue hue called Vintage Blue. Dansk’s Indigo hue is also very handsome.
For menorahs, there are a bunch of newer-to-market products by independent designers that feel very cool-girl. See: SIN or anything by Susan Alexandra or Via Maris. Of course, I’m also a huge Etsy fan, and there are a bunch of affordable mid-century menorahs on there. I have a great roundup of vintage and new menorahs for 2025. For candles, I love the look of a super tall, super thin taper.
I also really like the idea of creating a display of hanging stars in gold or silver (or both!) above your Hanukkah table. Try criss-crossing a few and varying shapes and heights.”
Bess Kalb, author of “Nobody Will Tell You This But Me,” the Buffalo Fluffalo series, and The Grudge Report
Bess’s ideal Hanukkah decor setup: “A menorah from my grandmother, a menorah from my son, the very chic menorah Via Maris sent me last year and my two healthy children singing along to the prayers, because that is why we sent them to Jewish preschool.”
On interfaith decorating: “Since my husband grew up celebrating Christmas, we have a tree decorated in a dozen wool dreidel ornaments from Etsy and lobsters to honor his Maine heritage. The tree topper is a picture of my parents’ ancient cat, who is scared of everyone except for me and my mom, so we think he is a reincarnated shtetl ancestor who fled the pogroms and is here to watch over us. Typing that out, I worry this sounds insane, because it is.”
On not decorating for Hanukkah: “Hanukkah growing up was less about decor, and more about family all gathered around a table lighting candles and all eating from one big mountain of latkes on a platter. I want my children’s memories of it to reflect that warmth and closeness, not so much fussing around with decorations. It’s a ceremony and a ritual that I try to ground in carrying on tradition, more than an aesthetic display.”
Lulu Krause, artist and writer of the newsletter Lulu’s Walks
Lulu’s highly personal Hanukkah decor: “I love to have lots of highly-saturated colors and interesting shapes on my Hanukkah table — the majority of which comes from the Judaica I’ve sculpted. I usually sculpt a menorah every year (I made my first one in 2020, inspired by Jim Henson’s ‘Labyrinth’) and love to integrate them all.
I also always set out a few of the portraits of my grandmother that I’ve painted, which I started doing after she passed away in 2022. I especially love her as the Queen of Beets.”
On decorating with food: “I host a Hanukkah dinner every year with the same friend group, and I always try to cook really colorful food to add to the color palette — bright pink borscht (my grandmother’s recipe), and little details like bright orange salmon roe as toppers for our latkes.”
On decorating as a ritual: “Growing up, decorating our kitchen was always a big moment in our preparation for the holiday. My mom saved all of the decorations my brother and I made, every year of elementary school, so we had stuff from when we were 5 years old that she’d still tape to the window, more than a decade later.
The ritual of decorating — and more broadly, the strength and depth of our entire Hanukah tradition — is something that I really value.”
How to achieve Lulu’s whimsical yet nostalgic vibe when decorating for Hanukkah: “I think it comes from just being very open to the idea that inspiration can come from absolutely anywhere. Figuring out how to open my eyes to it, and then how explore it and eventually where to integrate it is my way of playing. It all centers around play for me. How do I play inside the world of ‘Labyrinth’? How can I play with my grandmother, though she’s no longer here?”
Ali Mann Price & Kimberly Landa, founders of Jewish wrapping paper line Safta, on creating a Safta-approved Hanukkah vibe:
“From day one, we set a strict ‘no kitsch’ policy for Safta, which we very much mirror in what we bring into our homes. If a motif, color or symbol feels overused or cheesy, we course correct. We want Jewish holiday decor to feel elevated and design-forward. While we want to celebrate the meaningful symbols of our culture, we enjoy thinking outside the box.
Our biggest tip is to not limit yourself to what’s in the ‘Hanukkah’ aisle. Create a color palette or theme that feels good to you — deep blues, pattern play, maybe it’s a literal theme like snowflakes — and commit to it hard.
Some of the best Hanukkah decor comes from putting your creative cap on, thinking beyond literal icons and focusing instead on creating a warm, thoughtful, celebratory environment that feels genuine to you.”
