Stores do not have a great record with Hanukkah. Every year, earlier and earlier, it seems like red and green takes over everything; the other day, I walked past a store that sells bones, taxidermy and fossils, and even it was dominated by a Christmas display. Hanukkah, meanwhile, is usually relegated to a few blue and white Stars of David in a corner and an endcap of candles and matzo. (Why is there always matzo?)
And then there’s the Hanukkah merchandise. The wrong number of branches on the menorah. Dreidels with incorrect letters, or letters printed upside down. Kitschy T-shirts with groan-worthy puns. (“Oy to the world.”) Pillows featuring Passover slogans embroidered next to menorahs. Even Hanukkah trees, wreaths, stockings and, yes, Santa Claus figurines because anything blue and white is Jewish — right?
This year, it seems like the trend of terrible Hanukkah merch is finally changing; finally, some retailers are getting it right. Target has Hanukkah pajamas that are actually kind of cute. The menorahs (well, mostly) have nine branches. But a lot of the options still feel, well, off.
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