Most of us Jewish folks would tell you that the first night of Chanukah is actually the 11th this year.

I love the DIY menorah!

This is just one Jew’s opinion, so don’t feel like you have to agree with me: I’m not trying to be inflammatory, and it’s not that I don’t appreciate efforts of this site to be inclusive, but I find myself a bit offended by that wreath- I have such Christmas-y associations with wreaths, and to me it looks like just another example (in the world) of people trying to make Channukah the same kind of holiday as Christmas, where in fact Channukah is a really minor holiday with it’s own cool traditions- like the tradition of eating things fried in oil, or the lighting of the menorah and oil lamps. Maybe some people would really like to have a Channukah wreath. That’s fine- there’s really nothing wrong with that, but I personally would really appreciate inclusion of decorations that actually have something to do with Channukah beyond the easy answer of “Holiday wreath,” which in all honesty doesn’t look any different from any other Christmas wreath I’ve ever seen.

Oh and on a more positive note- that menorah is really cool.

I am going to have to agree with "sholtz" to a point -- I don't want to speak for all Jewish people, but I can't think of a single Jewish person who would want to put that wreath on his door! Wreaths are decidedly Christmas-y decorations. They are almost as Christmas-y as the Christmas tree itself in my opinion. Not to mention that gold and white are very Christmas-y colors. Maybe gold and blue or blue and white would be better.

Of course ... we could go on and on about the "Christmasation" of Hannukah, but I don't think this is the right venue for that. A lot of people really like Hanukkah decorations for a variety of reasons. I'm glad to see at least some inclusion of Hanukkah on AT, even if it is a minor holiday (religiously speaking).

On a lighter note, I kind of like the DIY menorah though -- just that the photo doesn't show all 9 candles so remember to gather enough glasses for a proper Hannukah menorah!!

This is another Jew's opinion, and this particular Jew has to disagree with "sholtz". (It's also just a personal opinion, stemming from my own personal background, and you certainly don't have to agree with me either):

When I was little, I lived in Moscow, Russia, where nobody had *Christmas* trees, but we all had *New Year* trees - Jews and non-Jews alike. The Soviet Union being what it was, the holiday wasn't too commercial, either. It was more about New Year shows for kids, and concerts and parties for grown-ups. And I still think that a decorated fir tree for (western) New Year is very nice.

That said, I probably still wouldn't put that particular wreath on my door. But I might put a wreath - a New Year wreath - on my door, and a New Year tree in my living room. I just would decorate it in more Hanukkah colors, so to speak, to distinguish it from other people's Christmas decorations. To make it short: a similar wreath with silver-painted pine cones and a blue ribbon might find a place on my door. Why not? I like conifers, and I like the color blue, and I certainly like New Year celebrations!

Wreaths are actually pagan in origin: the Romans wore them around their heads as symbols of victory. So, Christians effectively incorporated another pagan symbol to associate with their holiday.

I collect menorahs, so I am actually kind of thrilled at Hanukkah decorations. Yes, it's a minor holiday, religiously speaking, but I don't decorate for Rosh Hashana!

Maybe we could have a feature where people send in pics of their menorahs? I also love love LOVE the DIY menorah pictured.

This Jew is not diggin' the wreath.

I have giant sparkly Stars of David on my front double doors:

http://images.windycitynovelties.com/prodimages/detail/211756_detail.jpg

Maybe I should shape some fir boughs and cone garlands into a Star of David and spray-paint it silver...
(Just kidding).

Hey guys,

This is Annie from Living with Annie. Thanks for the comments! Just wanted to jump in and say sorry if the wreath offended some people.

Really, I had difficulty finding great Hanukkah decorations on the web and to me, a wreath can be associated with Christmas or just with being festive and seasonal. I'm Jewish and since I didn't find the decoration offensive personally, I included it.

Everyone has a right to their opinion but hey - we've all got different, equally passionate beliefs about home decorating for the holidays - and that's something we could all celebrate :)

Hey, Chanukah is actually a minor holiday that happens to coincide around Christmas. Please don't turn it into Christmas.

Annie:
It is completely true, most Hannukah decorations are pretty bad. Most Hannukah cards are pretty bad too. Want to make my day? Find some good non-denominational holiday cards. I have Jewish, Christian, Moslem, and atheist friends and family and I want to get a big pack of cards that is suitable for all of them. Restriction: you can only use one instance of "Let it snow".

I do associate decorating with pine tree parts with Christmas.

Happy Holidays!

Weighing in on the wreath debate:

As someone else pointed out, wreaths do indeed come from ancient cultures like the Greeks, Romans, and Persians.

My impression is that wreaths and garlands have long been decorations that change seasonally and without any intended religious affiliation. People would use whatever flora was in season to create easy decorations for whatever celebration was at hand:

For May Day: wreaths and garlands of spring flowers
For harvest celebrations: dried flowers and leaves from the closing season
For celebrations in the winter: the only flora available in the season, evergreens

So, while we see the outline of a wreath and think of Christmas, I think that has more to do with the holiday's commercialization over the past century and less to do with actual historical usage.

My family never decorated for the holiday. We didn't really exchange gifts either. We did light a menorah and go to synagogue so that we could hear the story of Channukah. Maybe instead of AT focusing on decorating for Channukah, we could find some really neat cards to send (since the options are usually limited and terrible).

p.s. Jonathan Adler has some interested Channukah accessories

The Hanukkah decorations are great. Many Jewish families
have had Hanukkah decorations for years but haven't felt
comfortable being open about it. It's time for the fun to
come out of the closet. Celebrating is a good thing
and we need more of it. It fosters involvement and pride.

Yet another Jew weighing in.

The wreath. I am not offended, but wouldn't hang it.
As a child, for me Hanukkah wasn't about decorating, and it certainly was not about anything associated with Christmas...even association through commercialization.

I think the wine glass in blue is lovely, but sans the star.
I prefer a more subtle approach...I happen to just simply dislike glaringly obvious religious displays, whether a Star of David, a cross, or whatever.

I do something very similar to the dreidel photo, but I like to use glass marbles in Blue, white, and clear and silver. The colors make it very "Hanukkah", but in a more subtle way.
I also have a collection of beautiful hand blown glass spheres, again in Blue, Silver, Clear and white, that I like to hang from clear fish wire in my windows.

I have seen some beautiful Menorah's lately in the "free standing" idea of the one pictured. I have seen them done with a more modern look in stainless as well as more earthy in ceramic.

I think it is nice to see any attempt to move away from the awful bright colored and cartoonish star and dreidel motifs that are in abundance.

For Scoot..."about the "Christmasation" of Hannukah"
LOL.....my catholic (Bah Humbug) husband, also calls it the "Christmasation" of Christmas.

Finally, A Happy Hanukkah to all my fellow Jews.

Being Jewish my family celebrated both as many of my friends did as well. We also used the same decorations year after year and had a living tree.

What I find offensive is people going out and racking up their credit cards to buy new decorations each year. What I find more offensive are the dead trees scattered on the sidewalks after New Years.

Zoee- I do like what you posted.

I'm really glad to see chanukah ideas posted! Here in Israel you don't see any kind of Chanukah decorations going up per se, although our grocery stores are now full of jelly doughnuts and menorahs... it's fun.

The wreath didn't bother me, though, and Annie's blog looks awesome. I'm now a follower! I was trying to give a friend ideas for decorating her cubicle with Chanukah-themed things and couldn't come up with much, so I'm going to pass this one on to her!

The thing that REALLY bothers me is when Christmas things are called "holiday" things, as if that somehow makes them inclusive. Farmville calls Christmas trees "Holiday Trees"... umm... not MY holiday! This is one of the many reasons I'm happy I moved to Israel!

Just a thought for AT: Next fall, I'd love to see a little coverage of Sukkot! It's a Jewish holiday in which we decorate little temporary huts, and I'd love to see the creative things that home-decor-minded people do.

yah not offended but not for me. Hanukkah has its one decoration (the menorah) and the people smiling around it and remembering the story and that's enough for me.

and i agree with yiyehtov- LOVE to see Sukkah's from around the country. being in an apartment its difficult to have one but my sister's family makes one every year.

and on a side note, there are a lot of Pagan traditions incorporated into Christianity. hey! they are nice traditions!

Happy Hanukkah to all! a good year and a Merry Christmas!

True, Hanukkah is a very minor Jewish holiday, nothing like Christmas at all. On the other hand, what does a wreath or a tree (or Santa, for that matter) have to do with Christmas? It's all just festive holiday decorating, really. What I'd like to see is some some fun, festive NONDENOMINATIONAL holiday decorating ideas. I'm with many of the other posters, it feels a little weird to decorate for Hanukkah (unless you're having a Hanukkah party). But it is fun to get into the "seasonal" spirit. So every year my question is, how do you do that without putting up a tree and a wreath???

Ok, I'm going to be totally cheesy here and say how much I'm enjoying this thread: constructive criticism and good ideas. Yay AT and yay people!

Sciencegeek,

Sometimes cheesy is good.
That was a really sweet post and far nicer then any
holiday decorations.
IMO, the true spirit of the holidays.

I hope you enjoy yours.

I don't like the wreath idea much either, as yes, it reminds me of Christmas. However, if I changed wreaths to match the seasons every month, perhaps I would feel different. Williams and Sonoma used to have monthly wreaths, I think. To sum it up, I wish the design blogs and magazines would focus a little more on decorating for the seasons, not the holidays.

Sukkot! GREAT idea.

And happy holidays!

Annie, you had difficulty finding great Hanukkah decorations on the web because decorating isn't part of the Hanukkah tradition. On the other hand, I've seen artists do wonderfully beautiful interpretations of menorahs.
As for the wreath, I'll bet if played a word association game with 100 people of various faiths and threw out the word "wreath", almost all of them would say Christmas. I certainly would.
Happy upcoming holidays everyone!

Oh, yeah, Yiyehtov-- jelly doughnuts! Now that's Hanukkah decorating I can get behind! (uh-oh; having "doughnuts" and "behind" in the same post clearly paints a bad visual...)

The only decorating I saw in my youth was during the synagogue latke parties. And that's where it stayed.

You want to see some ugly cr*p being produced for Hanukkah, just go to your nearest Bed Bath & Beyond.

The only thing I need is a fresh box of candles each year.

(And Maf makes a good point: There really is a feeling that lingers among many Jewish people that exhibiting your religion openly can be unsafe. I don't do it. You just never know in this world today.)