We have a little dreidel tradition

First ChanukaH, first Dreidel

First published December 2019. Updated October 2021

We have a little Chanukah tradition in our family that started with our youngest son, who is turning 17 in a month. We give him the gift of a dreidel on the first night of Chanukah – each unique and special in one way or another. We write the year it was given to him on the dreidel, or on its stand, then we put it in a display case in our house. If another dreidel comes our way, we add it to the display, but it is centered on his collection of First Night dreidels.

Where do they come from? Whenever I have the privilege of being in Israel, I shop the stores, even if it’s “Off season” as the Israeli dreidels have the Hebrew letter Pay (for the word Po – Here) instead of our Shin. (Sham – There) announcing “A Great Miracle Happened Here”. If we come across some in our travels, we buy one to give the following Chanukah.

Of course, the many Judaic stores in Toronto offer a great selection to choose from throughout the year, but especially in the winter! It’s been an easy tradition to keep and continue and it brings special meaning to us and our son on the first night of Chanukah when we light that first candle and he is curious as to what type of dreidel is coming his way! Of course, these days, it’s also easy to find dreidels online, if you are not near a Jewish centre.

If you’re looking for a unique dreidel, or just need one for your celebration, If you need any help finding stores, just write to us and we’ll be happy to point you in the right direction! And we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you that our ChanuBox and several of our sets include some less-fancy dreidels. Check out our selection here.

Happy Chanukah!

The 2010 Dreidel

The 2018 Dreidel

The 2017 Dreidel

the 2009 Dreidel