This is a cursed calendar configuration: first Thanksgiving, then Hanukkah three days later. Who can arrange their gifts while drawing the perfect apple pie? Personally think it should be illegal.

But the lunar calendar ignores American holidays or my needs. Hanukkah is approaching, whether you are ready or not. (If you want to know, it starts on November 28).

To start your shopping, I searched the Internet for the least annoying Hanukkah merchandise this year. I surveyed my colleagues to find out what good things are on their list. For free shipping, here are 15 gifts that we are considering preparing for our loved ones or ourselves.

Picture from the Museum of Modern Art

"When it comes to indoor plants, the less effort the better," said Louis Keene, who lives in Los Angeles and started working as a reporter this spring. "That's why I like this avocado vase. Dig a hole there, fill it with water at the bottom, and watch the miracle of photosynthesis unfold."

We all have a friend who is still lighting the rhinestone candlestick for her Bat Mitzvah. Marble candlesticks like this from West Elm will remain fashionable for many years. If you are looking for Judaica that can be used all year round, try these slim modern candle holders-maybe you can pick some fashionable colored candles to accompany them.

The mother of three and marketing director Deena Kuperman played a lot of games at home—especially on the Sabbath. "So when I saw this beautiful set of backgammon, I was really excited," she said. This season, we will put Candy Crush on hold and have some IRL entertainment activities in the spring.

The necklace layerer in your life will appreciate this revolving complement.

Rachel Fishman Feddersen, the publisher and CEO of "Strike", put it plainly: "I only need two packs of four packs of Levain biscuits for Hanukkah. They are unbelievable. With its crispy texture and large size, I will have a dinner every night of the holiday."

Well, you can give this gift to anyone-who wouldn't appreciate art prints of their Hebrew names? If you are not sure about the letters, this Etsy store will help you translate. If the name game is not for you, try this equally cute "Shalom" wall print.

Sweatpants are out and accessories that make your commute more bearable are back. "I'm following the Calpak Kaya laptop backpack," said Gabby Brooks, marketing assistant and expert meme creator. "Mainly because I saw a woman with a woman on the subway. I think having a woman of her own can solve all my problems." Bonus item: It is vegan leather.

Hanukkah kitsch is good, but seasonal goods don’t need to be limited to Latex and Menorah. This mug pays homage to the most underrated dessert of the holiday season.

Here is what our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren has on her list (well, this is not exactly her list): "My daughter proposed a Cricut machine as a'family gift', which is some kind of fancy printer. In addition to printing, it can not only cut designs from paper, but also cut patterns from cards, vinyl, fabric, leather, cork and even wood. "Family gift" seems to be defined as what she wants here. And implied that we can all use it to make expenses more palatable, and I have to admit that it is really attractive to my aspiring DIY other self."

You have seen them on Instagram. If you start baking during the pandemic like our cultural writer Mira Fox, then you know that the Dutch oven is essential for the "crispy and open texture of rustic bread". Le Creuset offers 20 colors to choose from, but the similar products of Lodge are equally beautiful, and the price is far less than half.

Trust us: your friends of different faiths don’t need a fancy T-shirt to remind them to celebrate more than one holiday every winter. But these beautiful tops may come in handy. Each side is engraved with English instructions, and they make the game a breeze-even if some people on the team don't know their Gimel from their nun.

Our news editor in Washington, DC, Lauren Markoe, asked for gift cards from Kiva, a non-profit organization that provides loans to underserved communities around the world. "This is a financial gift for the recipient to invest in developing countries," she said. "You choose this project, and you can see what your money helped build-and then you can reinvest it in another project."

Hanukkah merchandise may make people cringe, but these food label T-shirts are really cute. Celebrating staple foods from babka to crepes, they will remind everyone how many calories we are willing to consume in the name of faith.

"Our old-fashioned claw foot bath has never been really cleaned, and I can't seem to develop the necessary upper body strength for it," said Chana Pollack, who has been a forward archivist for decades, and she is trying to become more clean. interested. "This drill-driven cleaning brush seems to be the answer to my problem."

Image courtesy of Farrar Straus...

Arno Rosenfeld (Arno Rosenfeld) is a doting cat dad, as a forward reporter reporting anti-Semitism, after reading the "Laser Writer II" in the forward’s book newsletter, Tamara Chopsin ( Tamara Shopsin) added it to his wish list after his quirky new novel. (If you haven't registered yet, you should register!) "It's hard to resist a cover that reminds me of using my grandmother's iMac in the 1990s," he said.

Irene Katz Connelly is a staff writer for Forward. You can contact her at connelly@forward.com. Follow her on Twitter @katz_conn.

The best Hanukkah gift for everyone you know

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