HowToDoThings.com Recent Hanukkah Articles

How To Keep Your Pet Safe During the Holidays

bronwyn — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 11:51:27 -0600

Christmas and other holidays can be fun for the whole family - pets included. However, there are some common hazards that may threaten your pet's well-being. Dogs, cats, rabbits, and other pets who wander around the house could soon find that their curiosity and playfulness gets them into trouble. Before relaxing and celebrating, make sure that your home is pet-friendly.

How To Wrap Gifts the Eco-Friendly Way

triple1 — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:05:29 -0600

We celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions by giving gifts to friends and family. Everywhere you look in stores, you see commercial gift-wrap, tamper-proof packages with multiple layers of plastic, and other packing materials that are not eco-friendly.

Is there anything you can do to lessen the impact? Yes! You can be kind to the environment while creating something unique that will merit extra appreciation from each gift recipient.

How To Give Gifts at Work

bronwyn — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:32:54 -0600

Buying gifts for coworkers can be a tricky business. When should you do it, and how much should you spend? Is it going to be awkward if a colleague buys you a Christmas present and you get him or her nothing in return? Should you buy gifts for your boss? Although each office is different, there are some tips that can apply universally.

How To Outdo Others in the Competitive Art of Gift-Giving this Holiday Season

wearmenaked — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:38:55 -0600

Yes, this season is about giving…in theory. But why not be the best gift-giver you can possibly be? More importantly, why not shamelessly and effortlessly defeat your competition?

THE CAST

The GIFT GIVER: Played by none other than YOU

The GIFTEE (otherwise known as the Gift Receiver): Lover, person you want to be your lover, co-worker, family member, fiancé, husband, wife, person you know is going to get you a gift and you will feel like crap if you don’t give him one

The GIFTROBBERS (people who want to outdo you in the gift-giving process.): These people may include jealous family members, wannabe lovers of the GIFTEE, passive aggressive relatives, a person who likes to throw money around to hide his glaring flaws, etc.

How To Make Egg-Free Latkes

murry — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 15:38:55 -0600

You'll love this recipe at Hanukkah, and I recommend using it many times during the year. We even make these latkes to serve with turkey for Thanksgiving.

Where do latkes come from? And how did they enter the lexicon of American cooking? As portrayed in Fiddler on the Roof, many eastern European emigrants were driven from their shtetls or villages by pogroms (state-sponsored violence). My maternal grandmother was one of them, and she lived her new life in the U.S. in command of the kitchen of a three-family home that is now on the U.S. Register of Historic Places, near Philadelphia. Her latkes and other specialties should be on a register, too. She cooked the family recipes of her homeland in Eastern Europe.

How To Send a Holiday Gift to a Soldier

Casey47 — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 15:51:46 -0600

The holiday season is here and if you have a service member stationed overseas for the holidays, the time for mailing your packages has arrived. This is an extremely easy process as long as you remember to always keep the best interest of your soldier in mind. Step by step, we will go over all of the necessary tasks and items you will need for sending your package.

How To Shop Craigslist for Holiday Gifts

murry — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:46:27 -0600

Holiday gift shopping on the Internet looms larger than ever, driven by fuel prices, higher rents and our nationwide real estate bust. Can you say "savings" and "convenience"? Shop the Internet and you won't fight for parking, jostle hurried crowds, cool your heels in long checkout lines or put up with seasonal workers sporting tattoos, nose rings and “whatever” attitudes. You’ll conduct instant price surveys, compare related products and get ratings from others. This year more than ever, merchants are offering heavy discounts, free shipping and gift-wrapping to entice you to use the great online mall.

Is Craigslist one of the stores in the mall? Who would holiday shop on Craigslist, the globe’s largest garage sale and flea market? Who wants to give used items as holiday gifts? Who wants to receive them?

How To Celebrate "Buy Nothing Day"

ronkhare — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 11:14:43 -0600

Do the holidays seem overly commercialized to you? Do you find yourself wondering how buying people things is the only way to show that you love them? Are you tired of being pressured into “buy, buy, buy!” for the sake of the holidays? Does the world seem just a tad too obsessed with the material and lacking the spiritual?

If you answered "yes" to the above questions, you're not alone. The trend of massive holiday buying continues to grow: Americans will spend over $457 billion dollars for the three main winter holidays (Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa) this year. At an average of over $800 per person, holiday shopping seems to be a national--if not worldwide--obsession.

How To Find Hanukkah Songs

Beth141 — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 21:11:00 -0600

Every winter, for eight days, Hanukkah combines elements of Jewish tradition and history with facets of contemporary holiday celebrations. Gift-giving, parties with family and friends, and menorah-lighting are all connected to the "Festival Of Lights." Music, too, can play a special role in the celebration of this season. If you'd like to add Hanukkah songs to your eight-day celebration, you may wonder where you can find just the right music. There's more out there than The Dreidel Song, isn't there? Of course! Here are some ways to build your collection of Hanukkah songs.

How To Prepare Traditional Food for Hanukkah

Annette165 — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 15:44:00 -0600

Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, lasts eight days and celebrates the miraculous way a small amount of oil, enough for one night, lasted for eight until more could be found. Unlike Christmas, Thanksgiving or Passover, there isn't one major feast or dinner. It is more about children and family now than it is about food. For this reason, Hanukkah foods tend to be more snack items and sweets rather than a complete dinner.

Because of the oil that is central to the celebration, a lot of the traditional foods for Hanukkah are fried. Many of the dishes are also made with cheese, in honor of the heroic widow Judith, who lulled an Assyrian general to sleep with wine and cheese before killing him to save her people.

How To Play Dreidel

Staff468 — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 14:30:00 -0600

Playing the dreidel game is a Jewish tradition that the entire family can enjoy together during Hanukkah. If you don't already have a dreidel, visit our article about making a dreidel. Here's how to play the dreidel game.

Players divide the "gelt" (money) into even portions. You can use really any countable substance for the gelt. Common choices include candy, pennies and chocolates.
Each player takes a turn. The first thing a player does during a turn is add a specified amount of gelt into the "kupah" (equivalent to "the pot" in poker) in the center of the players.
Then that player spins the dreidel. What happens next depends upon which of the dreidel's four Hebrew letters lands face-up.

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How To Make a Dreidel

Brian263 — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 15:31:00 -0600

The dreidel game is one of the beloved pastimes of Hanukkah, and making a dreidel can be equally fun for people of all ages. In making a dreidel and playing the game, children can connect excitedly with tradition and ultimately remember the central story behind the festival of lights.

There are numerous ways to make a dreidel. You can make them out of heavy paper, milk cartons, cardboard, clay or even using a dreidel-making kit.

Using a kit

A dreidel kit can be purchased at any local Jewish religious supply store. If you can't locate one through a phone book or by searching online, then talk to your local synagogues or Jewish community groups about how to get a kit. Once you've bought the kit, making a dreidel will be simple and fun. But playing the game will be even more fun!

Making it from scratch

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How To Find Hanukkah Gifts

Staff468 — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 14:10:00 -0600

Hanukkah gifts are really not all that different from Christmas gifts when you think about it. When shopping for a Jewish friend who celebrates Hanukkah instead of Christmas, of course you'll want to stay away from Christian themes, but beyond that, don't feel that you need to limit your gift choices in any way. Hanukkah, like Christmas, is a holiday to celebrate! However, Hanukkah does present a few unique gift-giving opportunities. Here are some things to keep in mind as you search for the perfect Hanukkah gifts:

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How To Buy a Menorah

Staff468 — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 12:51:00 -0600

The menorah is the central religious symbol of Hanukkah and such a fundamental symbol in Jewish faith that it appears on Israel's coat of arms.

The origin of the menorah's form is a subject of debate. Some say that the inspiration was the burning bush that Moses saw on Mt. Sinai, while others believe that the inspiration was astronomical, with the branches of the original seven-candle menorah corresponding to the seven planetary bodies familiar to people in that period.

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How To Make Hanukkah Gift Baskets

Staff468 — Mon, 27 Nov 2006 14:34:00 -0600

As with any holiday gift, a Hanukkah gift basket will be appreciated most when you cater to the interests and tastes of the recipient. Hanukkah provides some unique theme possibilities. Here are a few suggestions that should help to get your creative juices flowing as you make Hanukkah gift baskets for your friends:

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How To Understand Hanukkah

Beth141 — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 17:47:00 -0600

Hanukkah is coming and that means... what does that mean? If you're not of the Jewish faith, Hanukkah may mean only a few things: dreidels, menorahs, that Adam Sandler song (you know the one), and the ongoing question: "How the heck do you spell that?" Hannu-...Han-...wait, isn't there a "ch" in there? If you are of the Jewish faith yourself, maybe you didn't grow up knowing all the ins and outs of the holiday. Okay, if pushed, you might be able to go into the story of the Maccabees who fought someone, at some time, and...what was it again?

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How To Make Latkes

Annette165 — Thu, 09 Nov 2006 10:03:00 -0600

Although latkes are traditionally made from potatoes, they can be made from a number of other foods that can be grated: sweet potatoes, parsnips (mixed with other things!), carrots, beets, squash and even salmon. The Food Network has a list of more than 20 different kinds of latkes from a variety of ingredients, but the basic steps and techniques are the same for them all.

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How To Create Holiday Cards

Tonya249 — Wed, 25 Oct 2006 18:02:00 -0500

You look out the window and see sparkling snow drifting gently past your window. What could be more perfect on such a day than opening your mailbox and discovering a unique, handmade card from one of your best friends? It can be difficult to find the time to make your own holiday cards during this crazy, frenetic season, but the smile that your card will bring to the faces of your loved ones is worth it!

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How To Behave at the Office Holiday Party

Tonya249 — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 18:24:00 -0500

Most holiday parties can be categorized in one of two ways - the ones that are social and the ones that are not. Your office holiday party definitely falls into the "not" category. Although on the surface, it seems like a social occasion, you should think of it as a way to improve your standing within the company. This isn't to say that an office party can't be lots of fun, but just remember - everything in moderation!

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How To Gift Wrap

Brian263 — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 14:20:00 -0500

Is there an intimidating gift sitting before you, taunting you with its irregularity? You have to gift wrap it... but how? You may be wondering if you'll ever learn how to wrap a gift.

Don't give up hope - Rome wasn't gift wrapped in a day. In fact, Rome was never gift wrapped, which is why it was successfully attacked by the Visigoths. Don't believe me? Then you're smart enough to learn how to gift wrap.

Let's start off with the basic technique for wrapping regularly shaped gifts - the rectangular kind. For this, unless the gift is enormous, wrapping paper will do the trick nicely.

Choose a roll of wrapping paper. Your choice may be determined by the season or occasion - holiday, birthday party, anniversary or retirement, to name a few. Unroll some of the paper face-down on a flat surface.

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