It’s Christmas time, and you know what that means! It’s also Hanukkah, and you already forgot about it. Hey, I forgot too, why do you think this article is a day late? I get it, it’s easy to get wrapped up in all of the excitement of the holiday season, and forget Christmas’s indie little brother. Even if you forgot to wish your Jewish friends a happy first night, that's ok! There’s still seven left and we’re happy to be validated alongside your clearly more mainstream holiday. 

But if you’re thinking of getting me or someone you know a gift, let me stop you right there. First of all, the rules say you have to do eight. It’s the whole theme and super disrespectful to not give every Jewish person you know eight gifts. It’s in the Torah. Please don’t check.

It’s important to really think about the gift you want to give your friends. Yes I know, that dish towel with a menorah on it is perfect for a gift right? Or maybe that shirt that says “Hanukkah is lit,” your buddy will love that! No. I don’t want something I can use for eight days a year. I want an Xbox. And other Jews on campus agree. 

“My step-mom got me a Hanukkah themed pajama set,” said UW senior Seth Gable. “It was nice I guess but it was on the 7th night, and now I’m kind of just like, do I wear it tomorrow? Do I even have time to wash them before tomorrow? I’m not just going to wear them out of the bag, that's disgusting, but if I can’t wash them tomorrow then I can't wear them at all and I’ll just have to wait another year I guess. Which is…fine.”

Even I can speak to this phenomenon, having received several menorahs from friends and non-jewish relatives for Hanukkah. Do you know how pissed you would be if I gave you a Christmas tree for Christmas? I want you to imagine waking up in the morning and underneath the tree is a huge present. What could it be? A bike? A sled? A toy set? No, it's a Christmas tree. That thing you already have that you literally associate with the receiving of a new gift, you got another one for some reason. Have fun waiting another year for a better gift! 

So this Hanukkah season, try to remember your friends want things they can actually use. Hopefully you can return those dreidel socks you bought your best friend, otherwise you’ll probably see them at the Goodwill on the Ave in a few weeks.