Amazing Menorahs and Hannukah Displays

The festival of lights has begun, and we here at Networx couldn't be more excited. (We hear there's also some other holiday today involving chasing turkeys around a football field, but we wouldn't know anything about that.) First of all, we're getting eight days of presents (can anyone say gelt?). Second of all...LATKES.

Okay but seriously. Hanukkah, like many beautiful winter holiday traditions from around the world, relies heavily on the use of lights as a key element of the celebration; for those not familiar with the story, Hanukkah commemorates the miracle of the Holy Temple, when a lantern with only enough oil to burn for one day somehow made it through eight. (Wow, talk about energy efficiency.) For each night of the holiday, celebrants light another candle on the menorah, the very special nine-branched candleholder representing the light of the Holy Temple.

There are lots of other special traditions associated with Hannukah (like eating foods fried in oil, see LATKES above), but we thought that today, to honor the start of this holiday, we'd focus on taking a look at some of the beautiful holiday displays created by Hometalk members, and wish you a bright, light, and love-filled holiday.

Jessica in Oakland has a beautiful tree branch menorah that I am totally jealous of, and alongside it, she's come up with a very creative use for a gourd lamp. She filled it with miniature driedels to keep up the Hanukkah feeling, all in a beautiful blue and silver theme. This skilled DIYer won't need to call on any neighboring San Francisco carpenters for her home improvement projects.

Barb Rosen has some of the most amazing Hanukkah displays. This menorah on a tray covered with gelt is only the start of the beautiful array of celebratory items she has around her home.

Look at Barb's beautiful mantel, which features a handsome menorah tapestry along with several menorahs. With a crackling fire and some inlaid fireplace tile to protect the floor, her living room is a warm, light-filled, welcoming place for family, friends, and other guests.

And here's Barb's table on the eighth night.

Karen Cooper lives in a mixed household and says that celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah can be a challenge, but you wouldn't guess it from her foyer display, which welcomes guests of both faiths with a miniature tree, a menorah, and containers of Christmas and Hanukkah candy.

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