Everyone could use a little help during the holiday season. Some people ask for help with donations, decorations, dinner or the aftermath. Others need help from square one. For those people, there’s Jewish Holidays in a Box, LLC.
This web-based outfit has a bunch of boxed kits that are designed to deliver Hanukkah with ease – or at least in a box. The company sent me one of its products, Hanukkah in a Box, to check out.
Now, just a little backstory, please. Growing up, my family wasn't very religious. However, being Catholic made this time of year an exciting one. Hooray for Christmas! Once I entered high school, my father got remarried to a Jewish woman and we became a bit of a spiritual Brady Bunch. It didn't seem to matter on a daily basis. Then, December would roll around.
Every year, we went through the motions of Hanukkah. However, I didn't get a whole lot out of it beyond a few prayers and a ton of delicious latkes. Having something like this would have been great.
Of course, Hanukkah in a Box really wasn't designed for someone like me. However, I think it would have helped me to understand and maybe even appreciate some of those prayers and traditions. It also makes learning about the holiday a lot of fun – at least according to my very excited 6-year-old son.
Inside the $34.95 box, there's a CD Tutorial and a booklet on Celebrating Hanukkah. Both explain some of the terminology, the Hebrew blessings, and even how the blessings should sound. There's even a recipe for those yummy latkes! The kit also includes laminated copies of Hanukkah songs, blessings and a few tips. That way, they'll actually make it beyond one season. Finally, there are a few party items, such as ribbons, Hanukkah napkins, decorating items, thank you cards and games. Ah, the games. This is where my 6-year-old lit up. The kit includes Hanukkah Bingo, four dreidels and instructions on how to play each game.
This specific box is designed for ages four to 10, so it has coloring pages, as well as a paper menorah and paper candles. However, the company has a variety of products that easily outline some of the traditions and tastes of the holiday. The Hanukkah Helper Box ($29.95) is something that would be nice to send to someone that may be spending a first Hannukah away from home. That includes a tin menorah, a box of candles, chocolate gelt, dreidels, and other goodies. There are also condensed versions of the main kit, including the Hanukkah Games Box ($19.95), the Hanukkah CD Tutorial ($15.95) and a box of Hanukkah Thank You Notes ($12.95)
It was nice to experience some of those traditions again and having everything boxed up made it easy to share with my son. If you're in need of a little help or want to send someone a little Hanukkah love this season, Jewish Holidays in a Box has graciously offered free shipping for a limited time on orders for our U.S. readers. Just make sure to use the coupon code GEEKMOM during checkout. This offer is good though December 15, 2012.
Jewish Holidays in a Box, LLC provided me with this product for this review.
