Hello again my friend,

First of all, Happy Thanksgiving if you're celebrating today! I hope you have a wonderful time.

And looking ahead to the next celebration, in less than three weeks, we'll be celebrating Chanukah! Woo-hoo!

In this week's email I hope to help you get your Chanukah prep underway, with some gorgeous homemade gift ideas, useful links, and one or two other things as well. So let's get cracking!

Homemade Chanukah gift ideas

You still have plenty of time to make these lovely gifts - although honestly, most of them are pretty quick anyway! Sweet or savoury, they're all delicious and sure to be appreciated.

• ​Homemade Chanukah Gelt (above)
  Rich dark chocolate, flavourful nuts and naturally sweet dried fruit, embellished with luxurious real gold flakes!
• ​Zimtsterne
  These star-shaped cinnamon almond cookies with their glossy meringue topping are a classic German wintertime treat.
• ​Tahini date truffles​
  ​Yummy truffles that are good for you too! These indulgent and healthy bites are made from dates, tahini, and dark chocolate.
• ​Crispy Chanukah chocolate bark​
  ​Decorated with chocolate dreidels and coins, this homemade bark, packed with crispy rice and cranberries, is always a hit.
• ​Gingerbread Chanukah gelt cookies (vegan)​
  ​Scrumptious spicy cookie coins make a tasty change from chocolate! Ice with personal messages for a special and meaningful gift.
• ​Homemade everything bagel seasoning​
  ​If your gift recipient prefers savoury over sweet, they'll love a jar of homemade everything bagel seasoning. It's the perfect sprinkle to season almost every meal!
• ​Spice rack seasoning​
  ​A sublime blend of herbs and spices that go perfectly with fish and vegetables. A pot of this is a thoughtful gift for a keen cook.
• ​Festive spiced tea blend​​
  This pretty blended tea looks gorgeous and brews to a sweet, spicy and fragrant drink. Pack inside a cute mug to make it extra special.
• ​Hawaij spiced hot chocolate mix​
  A jar of this homemade spicy hot chocolate powder is a wonderful wintertime gift - just add a cute label with instructions on how to prepare it!

There's a whole host of homemade gift ideas to browse here.​

Ultimate Family Chanukah

Now updated for 2025, my 35-page Chanukah ebook includes some of my favourite Chanukah recipes plus resources, ideas and more to help you make your festive family celebrations fabulous.

It includes information about the meaning of the festival and how to light the Chanukah candles, plus eight nights’ worth of fun activity ideas for everyone to enjoy. You'll find crafts, games and printables to make your family Chanukah joyous and memorable!

​Ultimate Family Chanukah is available as an instant download, and is 'pay what you feel' for a limited time. Click here to get your copy!​

Chanukah jumpers, aprons and mugs!

My daughter Kipper has already been rocking her Chanukah jumper to school! If you'd like to join her, you'll find jumpers and t-shirts here. Not to mention adorable Chanukah mugs (perfect for hot chocolate!) and the extremely giftable 'Love you a Latke' apron.​

Shabbat Shalom

Phew! What a lot! I hope these suggestions and ideas have been helpful as your Chanukah prep gets underway. I'l be back next week with some favourite festive recipes and menu planning ideas.

Wishing you a peaceful, happy and restful Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom - a Good Shabbos! - to everyone. May we be all blessed with many reasons to be thankful and celebrate.

With love, Helen x.