Hanukkah

Celebrate Green with menorah making for everyone

Looking for great Hanukkah gifts? Check out this list.

Some families are fortunate enough to own a menorah that has been handed down for generations. Artists have crafted menorahs that sell for thousands of dollars. But whether the family proudly lights a menorah that has glowed through 100 Hanukkahs or one glued together by their children, the spirit that illuminates the room is the same.

Menorahs can and have been, fashioned from almost any items. And what more perfect way to establish a "green" tradition at Hanukkah than to make your own from found, recycled or just plain "green" materials.

We've seen them created from galvanized pipe, glass, stone, recycled aluminum and copper. Use the ideas below as a starting point, then leap off into your own imagination to come up with something not only green, but unique.

Tips:

• Know in advance what size candle you are going to use in your menorah.
• Look for organic beeswax Hanukkah candles like those found at yeshakemsoapshoppe.com or BigDipperWaxWorks.com.
• If using fruits or vegetables, refrigerate as soon as the menorah is made as well as during the days of the celebration to prevent rotting.
• The menorah should have eight candle holders in a row and a ninth for the "Shamash," which is used to light the other eight.  When you are making the menorah remember that the holder for the Shamash should be placed either higher or lower than the other candles to distinguish it from them. If you're going to drill holes, you can drill the hole deeper, cut the Shamash so that it is shorter or find any creative way to vary its height.
• Assuming the menorah is to be lit, place it on a plate to catch the wax and ensure it is on a stable surface out of reach of small hands.

• Log menorah:
  • Find a branch or log of a suitable length or saw it to size
  • Flatten the bottom with a plane or using sandpaper
  • Drill nine holes to accommodate candles.
  • Leave in its natural state or decorate with other items from nature such as pebbles, leaves, vines, sand, shells.
    
• Potato, gourd, apple menorah
  • You can choose an especially large specimen and make all your holes in one or you can use individual fruits or vegetables for each candle.
  • In either case, flatten the bottom of the item to ensure it stays put.
  • Use a fruit corer to make holes for candles or a drill if the surface is very hard.
    
• Metal washer menorah
  • Use a scrap wood, a 12" 2x4 is fine. Clean and sand smooth. You can paint or leave it plain.
  • Collect a bunch of metal washers that are large enough for your candles to fit through.
  • Evenly space nine washers across the board. Once you see that they look right, glue down the first nine.
  • Next, figure out how many washers you will need to build up the holder for each candle. Find the correct height by gluing washers on top of each other, then testing the height with the candle to be sure the candle is held upright by the washers. Just for fun, you might want to make each holder a different height. As long as the candles don't fall over, why not try it?
  • To make the Shamash holder, add a piece of clay, another washer or any small item inside the candle holder. This will raise the candle.
  • Once you have the candle holders finished, you might want to add additional embellishments such as wire, beads or other hardware.
    
• Clay menorah
  • Using your choice of clay (including any good old-fashioned flour and salt recipe you can find on the internet), create your menorah in any way you wish. If you'd like each candle holder to be different, that's fine. If you want to roll out one long strip, then build up candle holders on top, who's to say no?
  • Once again, in making the candle holders, make sure they are the right height and diameter to firmly hold candles in place.
  • Dry completely, then paint with non-toxic paints. For a lovely finish, rub with beeswax.
    
• Pasta menorah
  • Collect various shapes of pasta including at least one long lasagna-like strip for the base.
  • Depending on the diameter of your candles, select any pasta type from rigatoni to cannelloni to space out and glue down to the lasagna. You may need to glue one rigatoni on top of another to make the candle holder tall enough.
  • Choose some of the other wonderfully creative shapes to decorate the menorah.
  • Leave plain or paint.
    
• LED menorah
  • Use a short string of LED lights. Nine lights would be perfect, but that could be difficult to find. So just get the shortest one you can.
  •  Find or purchase two 12-14" 2x4's.
  • Use a router to carve out a line down the center of one.
  • Cut the other 2x4 in half lengthwise.
  • Line the board up this way. The routed board face down over the two pieces you cut apart. Hold together with a vice.
  • Drill eight or nine holes through both boards equidistant from each other. The lights will be threaded through these holes so they need to be large enough to accommodate the lights. (Since there is no candle lighting the others, whether or not to include a light representing the Shamash, I'll leave up to wiser minds than mine.)
  • Saw nine 3" long slices from a wooden closet rod, dowel or even tree branch for a rustic look.
  • Drill a hole bit larger than the bulb in each slice.
  • Glue slices above the holes you drilled in one of the boards on the opposite side from the routed line.
  • If you've followed this far, good for you. We're almost done.
  • You will now thread the string of LED lights along the routed board and into each "candle holder."
  • Then set that board with the LEDs sticking out through the holders, onto the two other boards, but separate them so that the light string hangs between them. This should keep the menorah level.
  • You'll probably have a lot of lights left over. Tie that string up so no one trips over it, then plug in and enjoy!
    
• Flower pot menorah
  • Use nine flower pots. They can be the same size or different. You can decorate them or leave as is. Terra cotta is fine, but other pots work well too although it's wise to avoid plastic in case the candle should burn too low.
  • Line pots up on a tray.
  • Fill pots with sand or dirt.
  • Insert candles into sand.
  • You can decorate the sand with rocks or colored glass.
  • For a more quirky display, turn all the pots upside down and place candles through the holes at the bottom.
    
• Recycled water bottle menorah #1
  • Gather nine water bottles.
  • Remove caps and labels
  • Cut pieces of foil to fit inside and over the rim of each bottle. Conform to the shape of the bottle about half way down.
  • Glue bottles together in a line with the center bottle sitting higher than the rest.
  • Take a piece of blue paper or paper you have colored blue or decorated any way you like and wrap it around the entire line of bottles. Glue or tape the ends.
  • Use raffia or wire to tie around the paper for added decoration.
  • Fill the bottles with sand.
  • Add candles.

• Recycled water bottle menorah #2
  • Gather nine water bottles
  • Remove caps and labels.
  • Cut pieces of foil to fit inside and over the rim of each bottle. Conform to shape of the bottle about ¼ the way down.
  • Fill each bottle almost to the top with a different item, for instance, beans, peas, nuts, sand, sea glass or pebbles.
  • Line bottles up next to each other on a tray and insert candles.

• Recycled parts menorah: a wonderful activity for groups
  • Gather as many small items as you can find. (If you're doing this with a group, ask everyone to bring things.) Some ideas: buttons, scraps of wood, old utensils, pens, boxes, wheels, hardware items like screws and bolts, wire, bottle caps, lids, coffee filters, fabric scraps, old letters, stamps, paper clips.
  • Use a 12-14" 2x4 as the base to build your menorah. As you look through the available parts, consider which ones might be used to hold a candle? For instance, just by twisting wire around a candle and sticking it in a hole drilled in the base, you've made a candle holder. How could items be combined, cut down, built up or cut apart to function in holding the candles.
  • How can the candle holders be attached to the wood without glue? Let your imagination run wild. Don't worry about others copying you. Enjoy the camaraderie and have fun!