Happy Challah-days! The season for Hanukkah is here, and we couldn’t be more excited to light the menorah and celebrate the Festival of Lights, DIY style. With the clock counting down and just days before the holiday begins, we thought some quick tabletop ideas were in order. If you’re anything like us, far too many party plans happen last second, but hurried planning doesn’t have to mean a hectic holiday. In fact, quite the contrary! We’ve gathered four brilliantly simple ideas that will turn your party table into a stylish spread. In particular: a simple but gorgeous table setting, a centerpiece (or hostess gift), some seriously beautiful party favors that kids of all ages will go ga-ga over, and the sweetest Star of David snacks you ever did see.
With a quick trip to the craft store, you can make most of these ideas come together in minutes. And all of them are guaranteed to make Bubbe’s latkes look better than ever. Here’s how to get all of these on your table, stat.
Star of David Table Settings
Sure, you can make the classic popsicle-stick craft—just like they do in kindergarten every year. But why not elevate your style with this beautiful twist? Bring the classic symbol to your party table with this clean and simple idea for rosemary Star of David party favors. Strip fresh rosemary of most of its leaves, then glue or tie together pieces of it together to create a rustic centerpiece that looks truly stunning on blue, white, or gold place settings. Add a linen napkin, gold utensils, and you’ve elevated your party design with modern simplicity and the organic lines of nature. If fresh rosemary is hard to find in your neck of the woods, hit the trees in your backyard, cut some thin twigs, and create these pretty pieces from found wood. The knotty addition of real wood (or fresh rosemary) turns the usual “kids craft” into a piece you’ll be proud of.
Supplies Needed:
- 6 rosemary sprigs per star
- Hot glue or thin twine
To Make:
To remove the leaves, gently tug from the top two-thirds of a rosemary sprig, pulling fingers along the stem. Keep a small amount of greens intact near the end of the stem. Then, hot glue (or secure with twine) three stems into a triangle. Repeat. Glue one triangle atop the other. Place atop a set table for party decor, or hang from fishing line for room decor.
Gelt Centerpiece
Top your table with a DIY centerpiece everyone will adore. If you’re not hosting but still want to get crafty, this is a perfect gift for the hostess. Added bonus: This pretty vase is full of golden gelt, so you’ll be giving a gift that’s perfect for the season. Tuck a tiny vase into a larger one, then fill the space between the two with golden candy gelt. Add flowers, and this quick hostess idea is ready to tote to any party. It’s the perfect centerpiece—especially if you’re entertaining families full of children! Invite the kids to sneak a piece or two at the beginning of the party, or make smaller party vases and send them home as thank you favors. For our arrangement, we chose blue hyacinth to match with our blue-and-gold themed table, but any flowers will do. You can purchase the vases for this project from a craft store for less than $10 total. A mini mason jar fit nicely in the center, so we opted for this low-cost option. We found our flowers and gelt at the grocery store, which made this centerpiece as convenient as it is cute. Aren’t centerpieces (or hostess gifts) just vunderlekh?
Supplies needed:
- 1 large vase
- 1 mason jar, which fits inside the larger one
- 2-3 cups (about 15-20 pouches) golden candy coins
- Fresh flowers
To Make:
Place smaller vase into larger vase. Fill center vase with water. Add candy coins to the section between the large and small vase. Cut flowers as needed. Arrange inside center vase.
Hanukkah Countdown Bags
Chag Sameach! What better way to celebrate the “eight crazy nights” of festival than with gift-filled countdown bags? Inexpensive white paper bags keep this DIY craft budget-friendly, and they’re oh-so-cute. Place golden number stickers on each of the eight bags, then fill each with blue party favors and golden candy coins. Of course, any tiny party favors will do, but since we were going for the blue-and-gold decor theme this year, we’re loving the fun blue favors—most of which could be picked up at a party store for about a quarter each. Steal of a deal! If you’re hosting kiddos on the first day on the 25th day of Kislev (the first day of festival), this easy craft makes an especially exciting party favor. Or you can surprise your own tots with countdown bags full of goodies, shared just for the fun of it. (We’ve seen similar collections hung from clothespins on the mantle piece or arranged across a garland with tiny clips. So cute!) But don’t let the kids have all the fun! These bags are perfect for grown-ups, too. Swap the tiny treats for gourmet chocolates, small baubles, and mini “stocking stuffers,” and you’ll keep your loved one smiling for eight days straight.
Supplies Needed:
- 8 (3×4″) white paper bags (available at party and craft stores)
- Large gold number stickers (available at craft stores)
- Blue party favors (available at party stores)
- Golden chocolate coins
- Staples, ribbon or double-sided tape
To Make:
Place one sticker on each of the eight bags, numbering them 1 through 8. Fill with party favors and chocolate coins. Staple to close, tie a ribbon, or simply fold over and secure with double-sided tape.
Star of David Pretzel Snacks
Whether you’re hosting the gathering this year or headed to a friend’s house to celebrate, these Star of David pretzel snacks are a party winner. You need just three simple ingredients (one of which is sprinkles), and you’ve got yourself an adorably on-point treat that everyone will love snacking on. For this DIY, you’ll likely need to hit two stores: the grocery store and a craft store. At the grocery store, grab pretzels. At the craft store, candy melts and sprinkles are what’s on the list. Though any sprinkle will do, we thought this was a perfect opportunity to tie in our party color theme, so went with a mix of blue and gold nonpareils. And of course, if you’ve got a color theme going on, too, you can use any color of candy melt. They come in all the colors of the rainbow, and melted chocolate chips work here, as well.
Supplies Needed:
- Parchment paper
- 1 bag pure white candy melts (available in the cake decor section of most craft stores)
- 1 bag stick pretzels
- Blue and gold sprinkles
To Make:
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large, microwave-safe bowl, melt candy melts until smooth. Dip pretzel sticks individually into candy melt, tapping gently to remove excess candy coating. Place three pretzels in a triangle, edges touching, Then build three pretzels in a triangle on top to make a Star of David. Sprinkle and allow to cool completely before removing from parchment.
Happy Hanukkah!
From our table to yours, we wish you a very wonderful holiday this year, full of warmth, joy, and the glow of prosperity.
