This year, the first night of Hanukkah is just 5 WEEKS AWAY ON DECEMBER 1!! I can hardly believe it’s almost here - especially since it’s 70 degrees here in New York today, and it still seems like summer. It also seems like last week that Lana, Lisa, and I met at Panera Bread the week our kids went back to school and talked about Hanukkah, which was still 11 weeks away.

For our first Hanukkah-themed newsletter, we have compiled our favorite menorahs of 2010 (although we really love all of our menorahs!). Remember, if you love any of our pieces, you will need to place your order as soon as possible. The menorahs take time to make, since all of our Judaica is handmade. You can see all of our handmade menorahs here and our favorites of 2010 here.

As an added bonus, we are giving away a beautiful fused glass Gary Rosenthal matchbook with every order over $125 (a $20 value) through December 1st, 2010! (see photo at bottom.)

12 Favorite Menorahs of 2010

Infinity Tree of Life Jewish Menorah $190	Tamara Baskin Parting Of The Sea Menorah $145
Check out this awesome menorah that EVERYONE will LOVE designing! Naturally Wood Creations Multi-Design Menorah $95 – $130
Will Schueler’s Arched Wood Menorah and Will Schueler’s Triangle Wood Menorah $540	Sara Beames Elegant Frosted Wave Glass Menorah $165
Emily Rosenfeld Tree of Life Spalted Maple and Pewter Menorah $195	Sara Beames Celestial Blue Glass Menorah $175
Gary Rosenthal Tree of Life Jewish Menorah $75	Blackthorne Forge Classic Menorah with Elegant Curves $200
Shraga Landesman Kingfisher Menorah $100	Gary Rosenthal Scales of Justice Menorah $150

We’ve also gathered our favorite Hanukkah gifts for everyone on your list. You can shop by price range or look for gifts for women, men, kids, tweens, grandparents, and newlyweds.

Don’t miss our articles on Hanukkah including:

• Hanukkah FAQ’s - This article gives a brief history of Hanukkah and answers the questions: Why are there so many different ways to spell Hanukkah? What is the difference between a menorah and a hanukkiah? Why does Hanukkah start on a different day every year? What is a dreidel and how do you play the dreidel game? What is Hanukkah gelt? and What are traditional Hanukkah foods with a recipe for potato latkes and chocolate gelt.
• The History of Hanukkah – An in-depth article on Hanukkah including the rule of Alexander the Great, the reign of Antiochus III, the allure of Greek culture, Antiochus IV Epiphanes outlaws Judaism, Hannah and her seven sons, the Maccabeean revolt, Mattathias and his army of Jews, the origin of “Maccabee,” the Miracle of Light and the celebration of Hanukkah, photographs of 30 menorahs from around the world.
• What is Hanukkah? – Learn how to light the menorah, the Hanukkah blessings, and the words to Ma’oz Tzur.

Don’t forget – we’re giving away a Gary Rosenthal Fused Glass Matchbook to light the Hanukkah menorah with every purchase over $125 through December 1st, 2010.

We have lots more to tell you about,like Michal Golan’s INCREDIBLY AWESOME hamsa bracelets priced at $35, but we’ll tell you more about that in our next blog post.