How to Set a Hanukkah Table: Runner, Menorah and a Candle-Safe Layout

Most Hanukkah tables use blue and white, often with silver or gold for the metal pieces. A blue runner gives the table its color in one piece, so plates, napkins and glasses can stay plain white or clear.

Our two Hanukkah runners take different routes. One has a blue center with a border of Stars of David embroidered in silver. The other is blue fabric with a gold-tone menorah motif, scattered stars and tassel trim.

Match the metal to the runner: silver embroidery pairs with a silver or blue menorah, a gold-tone motif with an antique gold one.

Measure the tabletop first. A runner usually hangs 6 to 12 in past each end, so add 12 to 24 in to the length of the table. A runner about one third as wide as the table looks balanced, so a 14 in runner suits most tables 36 to 42 in wide.

Both of our Hanukkah runners are 14 in wide. The embroidered one is 70 in long and the tassel one is 72 in long, which fits a table about 46 to 60 in long with some drop at each end.

On a longer table, center the runner and let it stop short of the ends. It still marks the middle of the table, where the platters and the menorah tray go.

Do not stand a lit menorah on the runner itself: fabric burns, and wax drips. Set the menorah on a metal tray, a ceramic platter or a heat-safe board, and keep the flames at least 12 in from the runner, napkins, paper and anything else that can burn.

Tradition places the menorah where it can be seen from outside, in a front window or near the door. Many families light it where they gather instead, at the end of the dining table or on a sideboard next to it. Either way it needs a stable, level surface, out of reach of children and pets, and someone nearby until the candles burn out.

A slim menorah is easier to place safely. Our steel menorah in slate blue is 7.75 in wide and 2 in deep. Our star-detail menorah is 8.5 in tall and 6.5 in wide on a round pedestal, and our polished aluminum menorah is 8.5 in tall on an oval base.

On the table, the menorah is the centerpiece for the week, so match it to the rest of the setting. Every menorah we carry has nine cups, with the shamash raised above the other eight.

For a blue and silver table, the slate blue steel menorah repeats the color of the runner, and the textured tree menorah comes in antiqued silver-tone, in a medium size about 8.5 in tall or a large size about 10.75 in tall. For gold accents, the Tree of Life menorah comes in antique gold or antique silver; it is about 10 in wide and 8 in tall, with sculpted leaves and a root-shaped base.

Our geometric menorah comes in silver, gold tone or metallic blue, with open branches around a central Star of David and a rubber mat under the base that helps it stay put on a polished table.

Hanukkah food is fried, in memory of the oil that lasted eight days: latkes, the potato pancakes, and sufganiyot, jelly doughnuts. Keep the middle of the runner for platters, and put a trivet under anything that comes straight from the pan.

Dreidels and chocolate gelt make table decorations that guests can use. A small bowl of gelt at each end, or a few dreidels along the runner, keeps the table festive without blocking the view across it.

Keep everything in the center low enough to talk over. The menorah supplies the candlelight, so the rest of the table does not need open flames.

In 2026, two of the eight nights fall on a Friday: December 4, the first night, and December 11. On those evenings the menorah is lit before sundown and before the Shabbat candles, so plan room for both, each on its own heat-safe surface and away from the runner.

Because the menorah is lit before sundown, its candles have to burn until after dark. Many families use larger, longer-burning candles on Fridays. Check that they fit the cups of your menorah before the evening.

On Saturday, December 5, the menorah is lit after nightfall, once Shabbat has ended.

Let the wax harden completely, or hold an ice cube on it for a minute. Lift off what you can with a fingernail or a dull plastic edge, not a knife.

For what is left, lay a paper towel over the spot and press with an iron on its low setting, so the wax melts into the paper. Move to a clean part of the towel and repeat. Our embroidered runner is polyester, and its care label allows a low iron, hand washing in cold water and line drying. For any runner, check the care label before you use heat.

Most orders arrive within about 8 business days, and Thanksgiving falls in between this year. To have a runner or a menorah on the table on December 4, order by about November 18. That date is a target, not a guarantee. Ships to US addresses only.

Unused items can be returned within 30 days. Return shipping is on the buyer unless the item arrived damaged, defective or wrong.