A Hanukkah card lands when it looks like your table, not like a clip-art menorah with nobody attached. On Ottermagic you upload a clear photo, run Style Swap, Face Swap, or Pet Swap, preview until the faces feel kind, then send an e-card or a printed A5. The e-card is a hi-res, watermark-free download as soon as payment goes through, and it works anywhere. Printed cards are 148×210mm folded, 330gsm gloss, envelope included and made to order in the UK: sent by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks, or posted with Royal Mail to UK addresses in around 3–5 working days.
This page is for Hanukkah and for blended households marking both festivals. For Diwali, Ramadan, Eid, Passover, and a shorter Hanukkah note together, see personalised Diwali, Hanukkah, Ramadan, Eid and Passover cards. Spell the greeting the way that family writes it.
Hanukkah 2026 dates
Hanukkah in 2026 begins at sundown on Friday, December 4 and ends at nightfall on Saturday, December 12. Those dates are from Hebcal’s Chanukah 2026 calendar (Hebrew year 5787). Households light candles across eight nights, so a card can arrive before the first night or during the week. Work backwards from the evening you care about. Festival timing still depends on local custom; if you are unsure which night someone treats as the main gathering, ask them rather than guessing from a headline.
Because the dates sit in early December, they overlap with Christmas card season for interfaith families. That is a scheduling fact, not a reason to mash the two holidays into one joke unless that household already does.
Hanukkah, Chanukah, Chanuka
You will see Hanukkah, Chanukah, and Chanuka in English. They point at the same festival. Some families also write Channukah. There is no single “correct” Latin spelling for every mailbox. Use the version the recipient uses in messages and on social posts. On a card, matching their spelling is more respectful than matching a style guide.
Hebrew greetings you might already say out loud:
- Happy Hanukkah / Happy Chanukah
- Chag sameach (a general “happy festival”)
- Hanukkah sameach
- Chag Urim sameach (festival of lights), if that is language they use
If you do not speak Hebrew, a warm English line plus their names is enough. Do not paste a long blessing you would not say at the door.
Photos that survive candlelight
Indoor December light is yellow and dim. The candles are the setting. The faces are still the subject.
- Turn a lamp on. Take one extra shot away from the flames if the menorah is blowing the exposure.
- Keep the main faces large. A wide table shot with tiny heads will struggle in Style Swap and Face Swap.
- Phone photos are fine. A recent, slightly messy kitchen picture often beats a stiff posed lineup.
- For Pet Swap, get the whole animal in, eyes visible. The dog in the Hanukkah jumper is a legitimate star.
Style Swap restyles that real photo. It does not invent a family of strangers. Face Swap is optional, and only for a clearly playful, non-sacred scene you would be happy to explain. Skip anything that puts a person in the role of a religious figure. Pet Swap is fair game in houses where the pet sits in on every gathering.
Text Swap remains available if you have no photo and still want a name or a short greeting on a designed front. Some catalogues go deeper on headline-led designs; Ottermagic is strongest when a picture exists.
Style picks that tend to sit well
| Look | Why it can work | Go easy if |
|---|---|---|
| Sketch | Quiet, keepable, sits with more traditional stationery | You want a loud joke |
| Watercolour | Soft, gift-like | The photo is very dark |
| Photobooth | Siblings, cousins, informal energy | The gathering is formal |
| Classic Cartoon | Clear likeness, friendly | You need something very still |
| Chibi | Children | Older relatives who dislike cute styles |
| Brick or Clay 3D | Playful households, pets | You are sending to someone you do not know well |
| Royal Portrait | Affectionate, a bit ceremonial | It might feel like a costume they did not ask for |
Live styles also include Anime, Caricature, Action Figure, Pixel Art, Bobblehead, Cartoon, Retro Halftone, Retro Game, Emoji, Sticker Sheet, Tarot Card, and Lucky Leprechaun. Match the person, not a stereotype of the festival. Bobblehead and Action Figure are fine among cousins who already send silly pictures. They are a poor first card to a great-aunt you see once a year.
Posters and canvas are available from the same portrait if one household would hang it. Check Ottermagic.com for live wall-art details.
Wording for blended families
Some households send one card that mentions both Christmas and Hanukkah. Some send two. Some hate the portmanteau “Chrismukkah” and some have used it for years. Follow their language, not a trend piece.
Ideas you can adapt:
- “Happy Hanukkah, with love from our noisy table.”
- “Chag sameach. We lit the first night thinking of you.”
- “Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas from our mixed, well-fed household.”
- “For a house that holds both: candles and a tree, and too many cookies.”
- “Thinking of you across the eight nights, and on the 25th too, if that is your house.”
If only one side of the family celebrates Hanukkah, do not force Christmas onto their card. Send them a Hanukkah portrait and keep the tree for the other list. If children are being raised with both, a single Style Swap of the actual family photo is usually more honest than two clip-art symbols fighting for space.
Inside, be specific. Mention a recipe, a child, a pet, a visit you hope to make. Leave a printed A5 blank if you would rather handwrite. The e-card is a file; send your note in the email or message that carries it.
Printed cards in the US and UK, or the e-card
US shoppers can order the printed A5 (148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope, recyclable stock, water-based inks), sent by airmail to a US address in around 2–3 weeks. Allow about three weeks before the first night on December 4. If you are later than that, take the e-card: download the file, print it at a local shop or at home, or send it digitally so it arrives during the eight nights.
UK readers can order the same printed A5, posted with Royal Mail. Count around 3–5 working days, and remember that 4 December 2026 is a Friday, so weekend postage sits in the window. If you are already inside that span, take the e-card.
Checkout is in pounds in the UK shop and dollars in the US shop. Support: support@ottermagic.com (reply within one working day).
Ready when you are
Send a card that looks like your people at the table. Upload a photo, choose a style that matches the tone of the evenings, and preview until the likeness feels warm. Order a printed A5 card (148×210mm, 330gsm gloss, envelope) for a US or UK address, or download the e-card for late nights. Posters and canvas are there if the portrait should stay on a wall. Start at Ottermagic.com.
FAQ
Can I make a Hanukkah card without a religious template?
Yes. A Style Swap of a family or pet photo is often better than hunting for a specific icon. Put the greeting in the message.
What should I write on an interfaith Christmas and Hanukkah card?
Use the words that household already uses. A short line that names both holidays is enough if they celebrate both. If they do not, do not add the extra festival.
Is Face Swap appropriate for Hanukkah?
It can be, when the scene is clearly a playful portrait and you know the recipient. Skip anything that turns a person into a sacred figure.
Can the family dog be on the card?
Yes. Pet Swap with a clear photo. Clay 3D, Brick, and Classic Cartoon are friendly starting points.
Do you post printed Hanukkah cards in the US?
Yes. The printed A5 goes by airmail to US addresses in around 2–3 weeks, so allow about three weeks before the night you care about. UK addresses can take printed A5 via Royal Mail. If the date is closer, use the e-card.
When is Hanukkah 2026?
Sundown on December 4 through nightfall on December 12, 2026, per Hebcal’s Chanukah 2026 calendar. Check lighting times locally if that matters to your plans.
