Menorah Roundup

Hannukah comes late this year (it starts on December 21 at sundown), which means that if you're between religions, on December 25 you can open presents in the morning and in the evening! Amazing!

In honor of Hannukah this year, I give you nine fabulous menorahs: Eight for each night of Hannukah and one more to represent the shamash, that candle that's a little higher up than all the others.

This entry is dedicated to my mother – who else would a nice Jewish boy dedicate a blog posting to? My mother is a voracious menorah collector. Every year, it seems she gets a new one, including an ill-advised wooden menorah ( talk about bad design – it was burnt within the first year of use), which remains my mother's favorite. This year she found one of the menorahs on the list below at a deep (and I mean DEEP) discounted price. For my mom this made the purchase all the sweeter. Can you guess which one?

See the Jewy designs after the jump…

1. Chair Menorah, The Jewish Museum, replica of 19th century Eastern European object Ok, so let's start traditional- well, not quite traditional, but old. I just love the oddball design of this menorah; it seems like it would be at home with contemporary "pop" menorahs.

2. Michael Aram, Olive Branch Menorah I just recently saw a shiny silver edition of this menorah at The Home Retreat (on Second Street) for $210. It's not as compelling in this photo, but in person it is gorgeous. It's also a statement, as the olive branch is the biblical symbol for peace and calm – a nice thing to think about on the only holiday commemorating a military victory in the Jewish calendar.

3. Bone Shapes Menorah For Jewish Goths.

4. Jonathan Adler, Skyline Menorah "Iconic Potter" Adler is also Jewish! Eeep! Didn't hear that one on Adam Sandler's "Hannukah Song." I think I saw this one at Mercury Design Studio (also on Second Street). It retails at $130 at Unica Home.

5. Reddish, Hannukit For those who can't wait for the Hannukah candles to burn out. A cute and simple solution to often overdone menorah design. Simple, economical, hilarious, sulphur-y.

6. Anat Basanta, Sabra Menorah Another menorah inspired by the natural world. The candle holders are cast from the leaves of the Israeli sabra plant (the holy land's version of the prickly pear). Small and portable, elegant and clever – I love this menorah. The price ain't bad either: $105 at Canaan Online

7. Josh Korwin and Alyssa Zukas, Man-orah As a neurotic Jewish man who is uncomfortable with household plumbing, I have to say this menorah makes me nervous – and consequently leaves me wondering: "Am I really a man?" This blog is deep, y'all. Available for a modest $200 at Modern Tribe.

8. Karim Rashid, Menoramorph Superstar designer Karim Rashid was commissioned by the Jewish Museum to design a menorah in honor of their centennial year. What he came up with is a gloopy, bold, and amorphous menorah (available in pink, green, orange, and blue). Right on, Rashid.

And finally…

9. Marit Meisler, Concrete Menorah Although seemingly simplistic, this is by far the most expensive menorah on the list, ringing in at a little under $300. Whoo-boy. You know what makes that price easier to swallow? 80% off the price tag… Which is exactly the price paid by my Mom at the Fort Worth Modern Museum of Art gift shop (doesn't the design make more sense now?). Cheers to you, Mom, bargain-hunter of the year.

I sure hope you passed on those genes.