The beginning of Hanukkah is only a couple days from now — do you know where your chanukiyah, the nine-branch menorah, is?
Using the Hanukkah menorah your grandparents used may be a family tradition, but do-it-yourself, arty, or high-tech menorahs have the same symbolism.
Here are a few interesting ones found around the internet.
1. LED Hanukkah Menorah Kit
Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories posted their first LED Menorah project back in 2006.
A microcontroller keeps the LEDs in order, so that each time you turn it on, the correct configuration of lights of that day of Hanukkah are displayed — as long as you start on the right date.
So many people were interested that they started making kits for sale, which have been improved and updated over the years.
But if you want to provide your own parts, the code is open source and available through the Evil Mad Scientist Wiki.
2. Star Trek Menorah
Once you have the parts and the instructions, your own imagination can make your homemade menorah special and even reflect your personal interests.
Joyce and Kaufman made this Star Trek menorah with the above-mentioned LED kit and character heads from PEZ dispensers.
3. Recycled Circuit Board Menorah
If you like the LED idea but don’t want to make your own, this LED menorah from Zion Judaica also lights sequentially and runs on batteries.
Environmentally-friendly, too, as it’s constructed of recycled circuit board! And since it is sold through Amazon, they have instructions on how to get it shipped by December 25th. Heh.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider