Homemade Hanukkah Cards
Hanukkah means "dedication” in Hebrew. The eight-day holiday commemorates the re-dedication of Jerusalem’s Holy Temple in the 2nd Century. Families often celebrate Hanukkah by spinning dreidls, playing games, exchanging gifts, eating traditional foods and lighting hanukkiahs (often mistakenly called menorahs). Hanukkah gifts are much more personal when you make homemade cards to go with them, creating a “Festival of Lights” that expresses your joy for the holiday and your bond with friends and family.
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Things You'll Need
- Blank greeting cards and envelopes
- Watercolors
- Acrylic Paints
- Paintbrushes
- Markers
- Scissors
- Glue
- Aluminum foil
- Gold-foil-wrapped chocolate coins
- Construction paper in various colors
- Red, orange or yellow tissue paper
Instructions
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Purchase blank greeting cards and envelopes, available at most arts and crafts stores.
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Paint hanukkiahs on the front of each card with watercolors or acrylic paints. Inside each card, include a Hanukkah saying such as "Colorful candles burning bright, each lit on eight very special nights" or "May the lights of Hanukkah usher in a better world for all humankind." Paint a small hanukkiah on the back of each envelope or in the lower left or right hand corner.
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3
Cut out nine small rectangles with construction paper, varying the height of each rectangle. Glue them on the front of a blank card. Cut nine small flames out of red, orange and yellow construction paper and glue them above the candles. At the top of the card write "Celebrate a Miracle" or "Happy Hanukkah." Include a personal message inside the card.
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Cut out candles from aluminum foil and glue them to the front of a blank card. Cut eight 1/2 x 1/2 inch squares of orange, yellow or red tissue paper. Wad them up and glue one above each candle to create three-dimensional flames. Include an inspirational message inside or quote.
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Draw four small dreidls and several pieces of gelt on pieces of colored construction paper and decorate them with markers or paint. Cut them out and glue them to the front and back of a blank card. Include gold foil-wrapped chocolate coins in the envelope.
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Draw sufganiot (traditional Hanukkah jelly doughnuts) or latkes (potato pancakes) in marker on the front of each blank card, or cut them out from construction paper and glue them to the cards.
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Tips & Warnings
While menorahs lit on Shabbat have eight candles, hanukkiahs have nine. The middle candle—called the “shamash,” meaning “helper” or “servant”—is used to light the other candles and is a bit longer than the rest.
If you can't find blank greeting cards, cut out pieces of heavy card stock and fold them in half.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Star of David image by Konovalov Pavel from Fotolia.com
