27 Best Hanukkah Gifts for Men, Night One to Eight

If you are giving him one gift with staying power, a menorah he actually likes looking at is it. Yair Emanuel's aluminum Tree of Life design is clean and sculptural rather than ornate, so it suits a man with a modern apartment or one who is setting up his first home of his own. It takes standard candles and comes in three sizes.

For the man who works late, travels for work or lives in a dorm with a no-flame rule, this pocket LED menorah means he never has to skip a night. It runs on batteries or USB, and he can light it on his desk at the office without setting off anything.

A good pick for a dad who wants to start leading havdalah with his kids. Goblet, braided candle holder, spice box and tray all match, so he does not have to piece a set together, and the hammered finish looks handsome on a sideboard between Saturdays.

Many men are still using the kiddush cup they got at their bar mitzvah. This six-ounce silver-plated goblet is a grown-up replacement that meets the halachic size, never needs polishing, and costs well under $30.

A thoughtful gift for a son, brother or friend who just bought or rented a new place. The resin and oak case handles weather on an outside doorpost and goes up with peel-and-stick backing. Add a kosher scroll from his rabbi or a Judaica shop if he plans to put it up with the blessing.

The splurge for a man who hosts Friday night dinner. Oak and cast concrete give it real heft, the built-in salt well handles hamotzi properly, and the matching knife means it arrives ready for this week's challah.

For a man who davens regularly, a full-size wool tallit from Israel is about as meaningful as a Hanukkah gift gets. It is kosher down to the tzitzit and generously sized, and it can replace one he has worn thin since his bar mitzvah.

Pair this with the tallit above, or give it on its own to a man whose bags are fraying. The Hebrew embroidery tells the two bags apart at a glance, and the clear rain cover protects the velvet on the walk to shul.

An inexpensive, practical night-three gift. Plain black suede goes with a suit or a sweater, and the large sizing means it stays on his head instead of sliding off at every bow.

Men who want to wear a Star of David every day usually want something they can forget about. This one is stainless steel, so the gym, the shower and the ocean will not dull it, and the plain design looks right under a T-shirt collar.

If he is the one carving the holiday brisket, a 12-inch slicer turns ragged chunks into clean, thin slices against the grain. This set adds a breaking knife and a boning knife in full-tang German steel, so it covers barbecue season too. It is the big-night gift for a man who cooks.

Good latkes need a pan that stays hot when the next batch goes in, and cast iron does that better than nonstick. Twelve inches fits six or seven at a time, so the man on latke duty can keep up with the table.

The trick serious latke makers swear by: squeeze the grated potato and onion through a ricer to get the water out before frying. This sturdy one has long handles for leverage, and it makes great mashed potatoes the rest of the year.

Under $10 and genuinely useful. He can check that the brisket has hit tenderness, then check the frying oil before the latkes go in. It is waterproof, so it survives a messy holiday kitchen.

For the man who has started doing a smoked brisket for the family gathering instead of the braised version. Oak gives steady, classic smoke, and a two-pound bag is enough for several long cooks. Pair it with the thermometer for a small-night combo.

Every family has the man who tells the jokes at the table, and this gives him decades of new material. It collects classic stories, one-liners and comic writing from the Marx Brothers to Philip Roth, with illustrations throughout. Expect it to be read aloud before the latkes are cold.

For the history reader, Schama's second volume covers four centuries from the expulsion from Spain to the eve of the twentieth century. It is narrative history, not a textbook, and it gives a lot of context to a holiday that is about surviving and staying Jewish.

For the man who has mastered latkes and wants to cook the rest of the year too. These are quicker, lighter Middle Eastern dishes in the Zahav style, built for having friends over on a weeknight.

A good fit for a husband or son who has started taking on Friday dinner. The fifty recipes are family-style and kosher, so he can cook for a full table without adapting anything.

For the uncle or grandfather who always pours a round of scotch for a l'chaim after the candles. The etched globe decanter turns that moment into a bit of theater, and the set includes two glasses and chilling balls so it is complete as a gift.

A small, useful gift for a man who drinks his whiskey neat and hates it watered down. They chill a pour without diluting it, and the boxed set makes a neat package for a middle night.

Hand these out after dinner and the table competes for gelt for the next hour. Ten wooden dreidels mean nobody waits for a turn, and the rule card settles arguments about whether shin means put in one or two.

Dreidel stakes for a whole family, and kosher OU-Dairy. A hundred coins is enough to last eight nights if the grown men can keep their hands out of the bowl.

Kids love giving dad socks, and five pairs of menorah and dreidel prints let them hand over one a night. They are mostly cotton and fit a men's 7 to 13, so they will get worn after the holiday too.

A stegosaurus with lit menorah candles for back plates. It is the shirt for the guy who goes to the office ugly-sweater party and refuses to wear a Christmas one, and it will make every family photo.

Matching holiday pajamas are no longer just for Christmas families. These blue Star of David pants are soft and stretchy enough that he will wear them long after the first-night photo is taken.

For the man who groans at puns and then repeats them. It is a cheap, cheerful night-seven gift that ends up in his morning coffee rotation all year.