The looks on people's faces when they open a gift they love is priceless; however, before that happens, you need to find just the right present for everyone on your list: friends, family, adults, children - even Fido and Fluffy.
We've got some ideas for you, from tickets to a show and great new books to unique home decoration and hot DVD releases. Here's to eight days of happy giving and receiving.
Chagall on your wall
The work of artist Marc Chagall is emotional, inventive and too expensive for most of us to afford. But BetterWall, a company that sells museum banners (like the ones you see on lampposts) after an exhibition has closed, has a unique alternative. It recently began offering banners of "Music," a Chagall work featuring the image of a violinist - the very painting that inspired the title "Fiddler on the Roof." The banners were produced for the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco, in honor of its exhibition "Chagall and the Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater, 1919-1949." There are only 50 of these banners, which are printed vinyl and measure approximately 6' x 3'. Cost is $499. Visit betterwall.com.
Local luxury
Give the chocoholic on your Hanukkah list a special treat - a box of truffles from Eleanor Joseph Confections. Joseph has 30 years of experience making truffles and recently moved to the Valley from Beverly Hills. Her truffles are wheat-free, gluten-free and available in regular and sugar-free varieties. Flavors include aphrodesia (chocolate with spice), apricot brandy, Bailey's Irish Cream, champagne, coffee liqueur, cräme de menthe, raspberry and Dutch chocolate. Cost is $18 for a box of four, $32 for a box of eight and $42 for a box of 12. Or, you can try EJC's chocolate wine-pairing medallions - discs of rich chocolate with varying percentages of cocoa, each of which is meant to be paired with a particular variety of wine. Cost is $5.50 for a gift box of eight and $11 for a gift box of 14. Visit eleanorjosephconfections.com.
Gifts for the kids
"Clever Rachel" (Orca, $20 hardcover) is a delightful retelling of a Jewish folk tale about a precocious girl with an affinity for riddles. She prides herself on her intellect until a woman comes to her with a series of riddles even Rachel can't answer. To solve the riddles, she must work with her rival, a neighbor boy named Jacob. There are bonus riddles for children to solve at the end of the book. Visit amazon.com.
Children of all ages will enjoy a tub of aleph-bet magnets. The set of 40 Hebrew-letter magnets comes in all different colors and works great on refrigerators. Cost is $6.50. Visit popjudaica.com.
On with the shows
Music fans would enjoy tickets to some of the great upcoming shows arriving in the Valley. Renowned composer Marvin Hamlisch comes back to the Phoenix Symphony Jan. 8-10. The artist responsible for the music of "A Chorus Line," "The Way We Were" and other modern classics will act as guest conductor as the orchestra performs his works. Showtimes are 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 8, and Saturday, Jan. 9, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10. Cost is $26-$76. Call 602-495-1999 or visit phoenixsymphony.org.
On Jan. 20, Israeli violinist Itzhak Perlman returns to the Mesa Arts Center. The world-famous musician performs at 7:30 p.m. Cost is $50-$90. Call 480-644-6500 or visit mesaartscenter.com.
Relaxation in a dreidel
The holiday season can be pretty stressful - give someone in your life a one-way ticket to relaxation with the Lush Better Than a Blintz bath bomb set. Four of Lush's best-selling bath bombs come in the set, including So White (apple-scented), The Happy Pill (grapefruit, bergamot and mandarin), Magic (marjoram, rose, basil and peppermint) and Big Blue (lavender and lime). Cost is $20 for the set, which comes in a festive dreidel-shaped box. Better Than a Blintz is available at the Lush store in Scottsdale Fashion Square, 480-946-5874, or visit lush.com.
Ideas for movie buffs
Cinephiles are looking forward to the release of director Quentin Tarantino's latest film, "Inglourious Basterds," on DVD and Blu-Ray. The violent, controversial film about a group of American, mostly Jewish soldiers in World War II who devote themselves to killing Nazis is an excellent and suspenseful film and a fascinating piece of alternative history. "Basterds" doesn't come out until Dec. 15, but it would make a great gift on one of the later nights of Hanukkah. List price is $40 for Blu-Ray and $30 for DVD. Visit amazon.com.
For something a little more mainstream, check out Judd Apatow's "Funny People" on Blu-Ray and DVD. Jewish director Apatow assembled some of Hollywood's most popular young Jewish comedians, including Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill, for this dramedy about stand-up comedians. List price is $40 for Blu-Ray and $30 for DVD. Visit amazon.com.
Music for everyone
When you buy Hanukkah gifts from JDub Records, you're not just giving awesome presents, you're supporting the nonprofit Jewish organization founded by former local boys Aaron Bisman and Jacob Harris. The JDub online store is having a sale from now until Hanukkah, which means that their always-affordable CDs are a downright steal. There's something for everyone, from Michael Showalter's debut comedy album, "Sandwiches and Cats," and rock music for kids by The Macaroons, to the indie folk sound of Girls in Trouble's eponymous album and the Eastern European folk-punk music of Golem. Visit jdubrecords.org.
Ideas for foodies
For friends and family who love to cook, give "Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes" (Wiley, $25 hardcover) by Laura Frankel. This book is full of more than 120 mouthwatering ideas for delicious dishes, including Olive Oil-Poached Halibut, Garlicky Pot Roast, Cassoulet, Key Lime Cheesecake and Maple-Pecan Bread Pudding. Visit amazon.com.
If the person on your gift list is more into eating food than cooking it, give a copy of "Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen" (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $24 hardcover). Author David Sax traveled around the country and abroad to find the best Jewish deli food, and the book is a tribute to the wonders of a cuisine - cabbage rolls, kishke, pastrami - that is becoming increasingly scarce.
Gifts for our four-legged friends
Let's not forget the family pets - they can enjoy Hanukkah, too. For the dogs, pick up Hanukkah-themed squeaky toys at Puppies N' Love at Paradise Valley Mall - stuffed dreidels or stuffed kippah-wearing teddy bears cost $9. There's also blue-and-white collars with jingle bells on them - $5 for the small size and $6 for the large size. Call 602-996-7599.
If your family friend is a feline, Target has several cute gift ideas, including catnip-filled dreidels (2 for $3) and a blue wand toy with Stars of David on it ($3). Visit target.com.
