Want a fun, free activity for the last night of Hanukkah? Print and customize these coloring pages from Hello Kids. There are 12 templates to choose from, all of which are adorable.

As Hanukkah winds down, I thought it would be fun to discuss gifts. Around here, it’s pretty low key. Growing up, I never received a bunch of gifts, and as an adult I’ve never gone overboard either. That said, I do appreciate a nice surprise! Hungry Bear is an enthusiastic gift-giver, but he doesn’t always quite hit the mark, as these gifts demonstrate…

Gift #1 – Air purifier

Since I suffer from mild allergies and asthma, this was a very practical idea, but none too exciting. I slept with it the first night, only to wake up with a sore throat. Evidently, the Ion feature can have this effect. I used it twice more without any relief. It’s now back in the box and will be returned shortly. So much for that…

Gift # 2 – Mini flashlight & tactical knife set

I thought the air purifier was bad until I received my second gift! This one truly was a head-scratcher, because I’ve never expressed a desire for something remotely like it. When I asked Hungry Bear what possessed him to buy it, he replied: “In case you ever drive off a bridge, into a river, you can break the windshield and survive!” I almost died laughing! This gift is still in the package, in my glove box, and will probably remain there indefinitely.

Instead of the roses, chocolates, and jewelry I was hoping for, I ended up with the least romantic Hanukkah gifts ever. I guess it’s just the age-old difference between men and women. He may not be a very lovey-dovey guy, but at least he tries, and for that, I’m grateful.

Ever received a gift that was really unromantic? Do tell!

The wonderful folks at Zion Judaica sent me a 100-count bag of dreidels to review—just in time for Hanukkah!

A dreidel is a 4-sided spinning top. Each side has a Hebrew letter: Nun, Gimmel, Hey, & Shin. Combined, these letters translate to “A great miracle happened there.” Playing dreidels is a traditional Hanukkah game used in Jewish homes all over the world, mine included. I always loved this game and looked forward to it annually.

How does one play dreidels? The rules are very simple:

1.  Any number of players can participate, but smaller groups are better. Each player begins the game with an equal number of treats. Most people use gelt (chocolate coin money), but I’ve seen pennies also used on occasion.

2.  At the beginning of each round, every participant puts one treat into the center pot.

3.  Every time it’s your turn, spin the dreidel once. Depending on the outcome, you give or get treats from the pot. Nun earns nothing, Gimmel gets everything, Hey gets half, and Shin has to add a treat.

4.  Whenever someone hits Gimmel, the round ends and you start all over again. A game of dreidels can last for hours, depending on attention spans and enthusiasm.

Sounds fun, right? It is! Using a good quality dreidel like Zion Judaica’s makes it even better. Why are their dreidels so amazing? For all of these reasons:

* Colorful – Nice mix of bright, vibrant colors like pink, green, yellow, and orange, which is more exciting than the standard blue.

* Spin Well – Obviously, a dreidel needs to spin, but not all spin well. These do!

* Substantial  – Made from a sturdy plastic, not flimsy.

* Huge Amount – With a bag of 100, there’s plenty to go around and no fighting over preferred colors.

* Re-sealable bag – Great storage system ensures a long-lasting toy.

* Detailed instructions – Help for anyone new to the dreidel game, or those of us who’ve forgotten the rules from our youth!

My only complaint is that the characters are slightly hard to read, especially for people with bad eyesight like me. Adding more definition would make these dreidels perfect!

Hanukkah starts tomorrow night, will you be playing dreidel? Yes or No?

Jewish Boston is offering free customized Hanukkah cards! Create them online and they will print and mail it for you, anywhere in the United States. Isn’t that cool?