With Hanukkah right around the corner I am sharing some of my holiday home decor, which creates a festive ambiance for the Festival of Lights.

A fun tablecloth or silver table runner with themed centerpiece can get you started.

Create a centerpiece by  fill a vase or hurricane glass with candy gelt or dreidles & place two candlesticks next to it.  Adorable!

Another quickie centerpiece idea is to take a silver vase and stick in a store bought Hanukkah centerpiece.  In the photo, I added silver spike things from the craft store. (click on the photo to see a larger image)

Candles make a great centerpiece.  When I garden, I  like to plant in odd number groupings which are very pleasing to the eye.   I do the same thing for creating centerpieces, and in this picture you see three candles on a silver table runner.  I found the blue embossed Hanukkah candle at TJ Maxx or Michaels.  The other tea lights were gifts (one is a glass Mogan David) and I just twisted blue star wire around the grouping to anchor it all together.

This magnetic door greeting, although pricey, works year after year.  Barefoot Stitches on Beverly Road carries many magnets, but you may want to order on-line directly from Roeda Studio to get the Hanukkah stuff in time for the first candle. Last year I found blue and silver wire ribbon with Jewish Stars on it, so the kids decorated the banister and coat hooks with ribbon, battery operated blue lights and dangling dreidles.

Every year Jenna and I create a mantle scape for Hanukkah.  We do one in silver and blue and the other in gold and blue (see photos.)   We cover our everyday-picture with hanukkah gift wrap, create varying heights with boxes hidden under a tablecloth and put fresh flowers in vases.  An electric menorah is a must for the Mantels’ mantle, and ours were purchased from Beth El Judaica Shop.  I have seen mantle scarfs at Pier One and found most of my wooden painted Hanukkah decor at TJ Maxx or Marshalls.  I hide little things on the scape that remind me of each kid; for example, the white owl is for Hilary because she is a student at Temple University and their mascot is the owl.  Melanie painted the mixed media Torah piece, which is proudly on display all year long.

Feel free to share your Hanukkah Happiness with me by emailing your photos to [email protected].  Your mantle scape may end up on the B-shul Blog!