I have a beef with websites that promise to deliver a wide range of decorations for EVERY occasion and don’t deliver to the one religious sect that has a holiday every five point two seconds. Us Jews could support Oriental Trading Company alone if they would deliver decent table décor tailored for our holidays. I’ve scanned Google in search of the best Passover knickknacks for my table and so far all I’ve come up with to re-enact the blood plague, was a pair of glow in the dark teeth, a vampire bat to hang from the ceiling, and a red ink pen that looks like an injection needle. Cute, but I can’t give out pens on a holiday where writing is forbidden during the Seder. They did carry a bag of blood sour candy, but of course that is trafe- and “chametz”. (Bread friendly- a no-no on Passover).
Is it too much to ask for a set of a dozen slaying of the first born fuzzy creatures? Could you imagine if Oriental Trading Company had a section for every Jewish holiday with innovative ornaments for our Martha Stewart table topping pleasure? I’d like to see them make glow sticks that say “Yom Kippur- don’t eat!” What about Shavuot? That holiday always gets jipped. Most people don’t remember that it is in June, we eat cheesecake, and it celebrates the giving of the Torah. Is it too much to ask for a set of napkins and matching paper plates with blintzes and cheesecake engraved?
Chanukah seems to be the only holiday with an array of decorative items for our buying pleasure. But who picked blue? What if I want an android green and amber color theme? What do I do then? And I love the Jewish star. Who doesn’t like the Jewish star- but must we always be stuck with that symbol for our cups and table runners? What about other symbols like the Moses staff? I’d like a teal set of platters with a Moses staff printed in the middle. You know, just to mix things up.
If I sold Jew party themed packs, I’d have the Tabernacle mint tins, Matzo and Morror flavored party suckers, and neon bottles that blow bubbles in the shape of shofars. I’d sell fuchsia Mylar balloons that look like Seder plates. I’d have goody bags with a list of all the 613 laws as handouts. Who’s up for a luau themed draidle party? Wouldn’t it be nice to buy Hawaiian style paper goods that say Happy Chanukah.
Oriental Trading did have a variety of frogs and bugs to represent some of the plagues for my decoration Seder fest. I may make red punch for the blood, and re-enact the slaying with the one guy who shows up late, just to keep things interesting. We can even eat dessert with the lights out to remind us of the darkness plague. I still need to figure out how I’m going to depict lice. That may be a hard one. As for my Seder centerpieces? We’re going with the traditional Seder plate, but I did get the kids coloring in Passover themed placemats that I plan on laminating. They’ve colored two. Only 28 more to go! We’re hiring an actor to walk around with a staff, and my kids are filling the wild animal printed goody bags with a remedy bottle for your run of the mill boil out break. I chose tasteful colors. Not blue. And I managed to find matzo blow up balls for a round of toss the matzo ball during the soup course.
I think I am being pretty innovative this year, but I still have a beef with decoration companies that promise to carry décor for EVERY occasion. Instead, they should say “we carry décor for some occasions, mainly not Jewish ones, unless your favorite color is blue and you don’t mind using Chanukah themed party plates for every occasion, including your Tishabav themed fast party, than we’re a one stop shop.”
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