Two weeks ago, I asked you to answer a poll with some burning questions I had about Chanukah presents. Specifically how YOU think and feel about (and budget for) Chanukah presents.
Thank you all for answering the call!
(I realized after the fact that I inadvertently set up the poll to only accept 100 responses, so I apologize to those that tried to answer and were unable to.)
Based on those 100 responses, here is how KOAB readers feel about gift-giving on Chanukah:
Do you give Chanukah gifts?
89.6% of you answered with a resounding YES – which means that 10.4% don’t do gifts at Chanukah. (A few opted not to answer certain questions, which is why the numbers don’t always add up to 100.)
To whom do you give Chaunukah gifts?
Gift recipients are pretty evenly divided between children / grandchildren only (39% of you), immediate family (19.3%), extended family (33%) and friends and coworks, too (8%).
How much do you spend on Chanukah gifts?
As for how much KOAB readers budget for their Chanukah gift buying, it looks like $50 – $100 is the most popular range, followed very closely $200+.
Of course, 18.2% of you spend $10 – $50 and 8% of you spend less than $10. So “Chanukah on a budget” is definitely alive and kicking, too.
Hopefully some of the Chanukah gift deals I’ve been posting lately will help us all keep those costs down a bit.
Did you receive Chanukah gifts as a child?
I found the responses to this one interesting: 83% of you received gifts as a child – which means that slightly more of us give to our own children, than received them as a child.
How often do you give gifts during Chanukah?
The answers were pretty evenly split on this one – between one big gift for the whole eight days (25%), a few gifts spread throughout the holiday (39.3%), and one gift each night (35.7%).
I especially love the idea that one responder shared:
One night we have a scavenger hunt with chocolate gelt. Another night, I hire a local teenager who’s just starting to become a magician. Another night we have a pizza party or cookie decorating. Not every night costs a lot of money, but since we don’t have family near us, I make each night special.
What I love about this idea is that she isn’t just giving a gift that will be enjoyed temporarily, but rather creating memories that will be treasured a lifetime! I will definitely be looking at way so to incorporate this idea to our Chanukah celebration.
Thanks again to everyone who participated in the survey! I really enjoyed reading your responses. And by the way, 94% of you said you’d like me to post some frugal Chanukah crafts and gift ideas, so stay tuned.
Did any of the survey responses surprise you? Have you already started shopping for Chanukah gifts?
Pretty interesting! We do something similar to the other person who posted. Each night is themed. One night is the “Gift of Games” and we buy a new board game the family can play and then play it. One night is the Gift of Mitzvot and we give to those in our community who need whether Food pantry or something else. One night is the gift of Chanukah and I give the girls a new dreidel each year, so when they leave the nest they will have their own dreidel collection. One is the gift of comfort and we do new pajamas and slippers. I try to change the themes a little each year. But it has helped keep the budget under control.
I love this idea! We actually get gifts for my kids from family, so we only buy them something small and then pass around the family gifts. But I really like this idea!
I too have done similar “theme” nights. When my boys were small, one night was a game or movie together (new or oh yeah I forgot we had this one), one night was Grandparents’ gift night, one night was tzedakah night, one night was our shul’s party, one night was book night (often the same Chanukkah storybooks each year), one night the boys exchanged gifts they created or maybe came from the dollar store, one night was Parents’ gift night, and one night we just skipped. These varied but all in all, this was the point.