Hanukkah gifts for grandparents come with a built-in schedule. Eight nights, eight chances to make Bubbe and Zayde smile. And most grandparents will tell you the same thing. They want less stuff and more time with the grandkids. So this plan keeps every night small, personal and mostly made by the kids.
Below are eight nights of ideas, each with who it suits and an honest catch. One of them is a memory game made from family photos, which we make. The rest you can pull off with a kitchen, a phone and a few willing grandchildren.
Planning Hanukkah gifts for grandparents
Eight separate gifts sounds like a lot. It gets easy once you stop thinking of them as things to buy.
- Mix gifts and moments. A few nights can be a small present. The rest can be something the grandkids do.
- Give each grandkid a night. Big families can split the eight nights between cousins.
- Save one bigger gift. One night can carry the main present, so the others stay light.
- Plan for distance. If the grandparents live far away, pick ideas that travel well by mail or video call.
One small trick makes the whole week feel planned. Write each night's gift on a card and seal it in an envelope. After the candles, a grandkid hands over the envelope for that night.
Nights one to four
The first half of the week is about warming up. Keep it cozy and a little silly. Save the sentimental gifts for later, once everyone has settled into the candle routine.
Night 1: The grandkids fry the latkes
Flip the script. The grandparents sit down, and the kids grate, fry and serve, with a grown-up close by.
Good for: grandparents who have cooked every holiday meal for decades.
The catch: the kitchen will smell like oil for days. Worth it.
Night 2: Portraits in crayon
Each grandkid draws Bubbe and Zayde. Frame the best one, or all of them.
Good for: families with little kids who love to draw.
The catch: Zayde might come out with three ears. Frame it anyway.
Night 3: A memory game made from family photos
Gather photos of every grandchild, a few old family shots and the dog. Matchy Matchy Memory turns them into a matching card game, from $19.99. Choose 12, 24 or 48 cards.
Good for: grandparents who spend the holiday with the grandkids at the table.
The catch: it's a game, so it shines when someone plays with them. If you celebrate apart, save the first round for the next visit.
Night 4: A dreidel tournament
Real gelt, a bracket on the fridge and a homemade trophy for the winner.
Good for: competitive grandparents. You know who you are.
The catch: someone will dispute a spin. Appoint a referee early.
Nights five to eight
By the fifth night, everyone knows the routine. This is a good moment to go a little deeper, with gifts that get people talking and remembering.
Night 5: The interview
Grandkids ask questions and record the answers. What was Hanukkah like when you were little? Who made the best latkes?
Good for: grandparents with stories nobody has written down.
The catch: bring tissues. Somebody will cry, and it might be you.
Night 6: A sufganiyot delivery
The kids pick up a dozen jelly doughnuts and deliver them in person.
Good for: grandparents with a sweet tooth.
The catch: powdered sugar on the good couch.
Night 7: A tech help hour
A teenager sets up video calls, photo sharing and a bigger font on the phone.
Good for: grandparents who keep asking how to see the new photos.
The catch: your teenager is now the family help desk for life.
Night 8: A letter from every grandkid
One page each. The little ones can dictate. Read them out loud after the last candles are lit.
Good for: every grandparent, everywhere.
The catch: getting a twelve-year-old to write a full page takes patience.
Why a photo game fits the Hanukkah table
Hanukkah already has a game at its heart. Spinning the dreidel is the one thing every age at the table can do together. A memory game made from family photos works the same way.
The rules take thirty seconds. Flip two cards and look for a match. A six-year-old can win fair and square. Grandparents can win too, and they often do.
The photos turn each turn into a story. Zayde flips a card and finds his own wedding. Bubbe finds the grandkids at the beach. The game slows down in the best way.
If the grandparents live far away, mail the game ahead with a note that says open on night three. Then call that evening and let the grandkids talk them through the first round.
For a twist, Matchy Matchy Magic re-draws the photos in 3D Film, Watercolor or Anime, from $29.99.
Gathering the grandkids' photos
The photos are the heart of it, so give the family a little time. Ask early, keep the request short and name one person to collect everything.
- Ask each family for three photos. One recent, one old, one silly.
- Close faces work best. One or two people per photo reads clearly on a card.
- Dig up a classic. A photo of the grandparents when they were young gets the biggest reaction.
- Include the pets. The dog always gets a cheer when it turns up.
- Mix the years. A baby photo next to a recent one starts the best stories.
You upload from your phone, and you see your first card before you pay.
Make one for the grandparents
Pick photos of the whole family. Choose real or re-drawn. Choose 12, 24 or 48 cards. Check your first card before you pay. Shipping is $5, and free when you order 2 or more decks. US only, ships in 3 to 5 business days. Order early for Hanukkah.
Start with Matchy Matchy Memory for real photos, or Matchy Matchy Magic to see everyone re-drawn. Questions? Write to us at hello@matchygame.com.