My favorite Purim tradition is to highlight all the creative shaloch manos and costume ideas that we received or saw during the holiday. This year we didn’t get to see as many costumes, though. Many people did not dress up for megillah reading and we did not see as many people during our deliveries as usual.
However, our family always enjoys opening each generous shaloch manos, photographing them, and sorting the contents. This year was no different, except that there were a lot less baked goods (most likely due to safety concerns)! By the way, my apologies for posting this so late when everyone is thinking about Pesach. I wanted to wrap up Purim before I moved on to my Pesach posts!
Check out our family’s costumes and shaloch manos as well as the wonderful ideas our friends and community members had!
OUR COSTUMES:
After four previous years of dressing up as a family (2020, 2019, 2018, 2017), we decided to do it again. However, with coronavirus and all the extra stress that it has brought with it, I just couldn’t do handmade costumes this year.
One of my best friends recommended a Cotton Candy Glitter Bomb that became the “spark” for our theme this year – “Add a Little Sparkle to your Purim.” I searched for sequin costume accessories on Amazon and decided upon bowtie and suspender sets with sequin hats. I had to purchase a few different brands of the hats, though, to get the colors I wanted. For myself, I found a sequin sleeveless top to wear over a white shell. I topped it off with a sequin headband. So much less prep than past years; it was crazy! I think the results came out pretty good, though, and we will save these costumes for maybe parties, skits, or wedding shtick in the future!
OUR SHALOCH MANOS:
Our shaloch manos included:
- Member’s Mark Unsweetened Sparkling Water – Sam’s Club
- Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies – Menard’s
- Ring Pops – Amazon
- Pop Boom Popping Candy – Amazon
- Gold dotted tie bag – Amazon
We included the above note (made in Microsoft Publisher) with a family picture, description of what was inside, as well as the hectures for the items.
MORE WONDERFUL SHALOCH MANOS:
∞ Robin Hood – Our friends Bella & Yosef always come up with a great historical or geographical theme each year. They find great costumes and prepare goodies that coordinate perfectly with them. This year was no different! Their Robin Hood theme included bread (challah roll) and gold chocolate coins. I wish we could have seen their costumes in person!
∞ Little House on the Prairie – I read the Little House books to my first grade class every year. One of my current students has gotten super interested in them and has been reading further with her family. They came up with a clever and cute Little House Purim Day shaloch manos! Each food represented a different character in the books. Thank you Karen & Alberto!
∞ Bomb – We can’t wait to try this exquisite treat our friends Racheli & R’ Yitzi made – hot cocoa bombs. They also included a mug, atomic candies, and hamantashen in an explosion themed-bag with a clever message attached.
∞ Gangsters – To go with their amazing costumes, our friends Stacy & Michael used a gold and black confetti bag with hamantashen, gold lollipop, gold zazers candy, and a root beer.
∞ Air travel to Israel – Our friends R’ Daniel & Ruthie included the perfect airline food in a clever double-sided container. They gave whole peanuts, pretzels, and salsa.
∞ Space – Devora & R’ Eli always come up with clever job-related themes and this year was no different. Their astronaut theme included colored popcorn, a Blue Moon beer, and a Milk Munch chocolate bar.
∞ Coffee shop – Our friends Catherine & Ben came up with a clever coffeeshop theme complete with Starbucks bag, Lindt Lindor truffle balls, instant coffee, and Pepperidge Farm Milano cookies.
∞ Fish & Chips – Not the English delicacy, but yummy, too, our friends Jessie & Daniel gave fish crackers and potato chips.
∞ Elegant treats – Some of our friends and my students’ parents gave us shaloch manos with beautiful packaging or little extras! Tamar & Chaim gave us candies, liquor, and a candlelighting bracha with stand all packaged in a nice box. Dassa & Nesanel tied together a can of wine with rolled wafer cookies.
∞ Zoo – Our friends Debra & Marc included zoo animal items in their cute giraffe bags.
∞ Old-time treats – Vicki & Marc came up with a clever poem about returning to happier times when life was easy and sweet, and thus including treats we used to enjoy years ago.
∞ Beary happy Purim – Our neighbors Rochel & Daniel created these cute bear-themed treats complete with a stuffed bear.
∞ Chocolate – What’s not to like about this one? All things chocolate from our friends Debbie & David.
∞ Orange – Going with a color-oriented theme, our friends Shari & R’ Larry included orange juice, an orange, barbecue chips, and an orange napkin in their bags.
∞ Comfort food – Along those same lines, our friends Tammy & Mark put together sweet comfort foods of a hot cocoa, milk, and cookies!
∞ Around the world – One of the local shuls, Bais Abraham, did a communal shaloch manos complete with travel and world foods. Very unique items!
∞ Ready meals – Our kids always fight over the meals our friends make. This year Shira & R’ Chanan made delicious salads; Chana & R’ Shmuel made their lunch-in-a-box, Korey & Scott made boureakas, and Dassy & Ben made homemade chocolate liqueur. All so yummy!
∞ Beautiful baked goods – We always love getting homemade treats from friends! This year we got a delicious homemade muffin and tea drink in a very clever handled box from Rusie & R’ Avraham, parents of one of my students and a coworker.
Please share your clever ideas in the Comments!
* For more great costume and shaloch manos ideas, see my past Purim posts here.
Surviving on a tight budget 
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