I’ve shared so many Purim ideas here – from well over 100 Purim themes including loads of Mishloach manot ideas, to my dedicated list of Mishloach manot ideas that teaches the basics of assembling a pretty package from start to finish.

I thought I talked it through thoroughly, but after a few requests for stupid simple Mishloach Manot ideas, I decided to work on a new list dedicated exclusively to those who just don’t want to invest too much effort – or who can’t.

The goal of this list is as follows:

• Keep the costs down
• Keep the DIY down
• Easily accessible ingredients
• Things that are fun to get

However, some work this better than others, so I hope you’ll find that one thing that works for you!

Since my goal was to keep things cheap, I included the cheaper choices. So for example, where I share to give a grape juice with challah rolls, you can also do a wine with a nicer challah option if you’re just looking for easy and not just cheap.

Choose larger package sizes for larger packages – or mix and match ideas, include more than one variety of the specified food to add an additional item…

I mixed up ideas to give kids with adult ideas, since it’s not always so black and white what works for which. I mean, sometimes it is (don’t give kids kugel and beer – or anything alcoholic!) Instead, I sorted it by effort – purchased, homemade, or you choose buy or DIY.

Enjoy and I hope you find some cheap and easy Mishloach Manot ideas in this list to carry you through!

Important: I try to find Kosher Certified links for food items, however things change, sometimes packaging isn’t accurate, standards differ – please verify Kashrut of anything you plan to use!

Easy Mishloach Manot Ideas – all purchased

Note: some of these have a bit of DIY in the assembly to make them “cute”, however, not significantly more than you have packaging anything together!

Soda and chips – The ultimate snack is a good old bag of chips with a can of soda. To upgrade this, you can try to pick up a more “special” gourmet flavored snack, and a better drink.

1-2 Color Scheme – I have said this a hundred times: if you simply go with a color scheme, your package will look fabulous no matter what you do! Go to the grocery, start with what’s on sale, and you’re good to go! Package it in a matching party favor bag or a clear bag with a matching ribbon for a gorgeous low-key Mishloach Manot.

Fruit – possibly one of the most underrated easy Mishloach Manot ideas is fruit. Growing up, I had a neighbor who always gave a bottle of grape juice (the tall skinny glass kind) and a pineapple in a paper gift bag. We always looked forward to it!

You can, of course, simply go with what’s on sale. Give 8 oz grape juices with a few clementines instead for a more budget-friendly version. Or pair it with a pint of blueberries…

Gragger – For a cute kids’ package, attach a rectangular wrapped wafer to a laffy taffy rope and you have a Gragger!

Comfort food/cold package: orange juice or tea, paired with ramen noodle soup. It might not be the real deal but it’s a whole lot easier! You can toss in some candies too.

Sweet Dips: Pair pretzels – ideally rods but not a must – or breadsticks with single serve dips such as nutella or peanut butter (only to families without an allergy.)

Pencil Pouch – One of my favorite ideas – that we are doing this year – is to take a pencil case and fill it with goodies for kids. It’s just so easy. The pencil pouches I purchased were so cheap (if you buy in bulk), yet they serve as a gift, so even if you’re not putting much inside, it still feels substantial.

Older kids will get Sippies candies, along with a couple of Dum Dums and maybe another small item. Toddlers will receive a fruit strip, a packet of craisins, and possibly another small item.

It’s so easy to assemble, with no tying, taping, or other packaging necessary, possibly cheaper than paper bags with handles can get, and even the kids can help fill them. You can a tag to the zipper.

Again, this works best if you’re doing a bulk Mishloach Manot for kids, or if you’re using the pencil cases for other things. I bought these to help my kids organize their “stuff” and for my craft room, so it came out to a very very low price (about 40 cents a piece, and maybe a dollar to fill it – probably less!)

Cereal and milk: yes, literally that. Get individual cereals and small milk cartons (bonus points if you can find the juice box ones that are shelf stable). You can make it a bigger pack by getting dollar tree mid-sized cereals and quart milks.

Or the grown up version: a coffee cup stuffed with instant coffee packets (or brew bags), sugar and/or sweetener, and a granola or Kind bar.

Orange you glad it’s Purim? Pair an orange juice with an orange – or anything orange flavored!

Drink on the rocks – Smirnoff Ice with some rock candy... Brr! Or pair any drink with rock candy for an “on the rocks” vibe.

Pitzuchim – Any fizzy drink (alcoholic or not) goes great with sunflower seeds and is a fun grown-up nosh.

Candy shots – Shot glasses are presentation winners. So are mini disposable condiment containers. Take your pick and fill one, two, or three with candies of different types and colors. They’re small so it’ll go a long way, and putting it in a container of sorts makes it look and feel more substantial. Stack three, put two side by side, and pair with a drink . You can also lay a flat chocolate bar down and place two candy shots on top, then wrap with cellophane.

Butterflies – Butterfly clothespin bags are so stupid simple and so cute for kids – whether they fit with a theme or not! And it can cost pennies to make. You’re literally using snack sized ziploc bags and clothespins – available for cheap at the Dollar tree. Fill it with whatever’s on sale at the grocery. Make it even easier by using washi tape to cover the clothespin. Or, you can twist the center with a chenille stem and skip the clothespin – just curl the ends into antennae like this creator did. Your kids will have fun helping to assemble these!

Mishloach Manot Ideas that include EASY homemade items

To home make or not to home make? It’s a very controversial issue. My personal opinion is that you give the homemade one to those who are close enough to you that they’d eat by you for a Shabbat dinner or you’d cook dinner for them if they needed it. Everyone else gets an alternate.

Kugel and seltzer – while kugel isn’t as simple as you might like, it definitely is wholesome. If you’re not making too many packages – the equivalent of 5-10 lbs of potatoes – and you’re not hosting the Purim feast, you may find it simple enough. Beer is another fabulous pairing for Kugel, although not as cheap.

Pasta salad and iced tea – I gave this combo years ago, making crowd-pleasing sesame noodles (before our sesame allergy days), along with Arizona iced tea. Since it’s a fresh food, it does need to be done the day before Purim but it’s as easy as cooking pasta and throwing together a dressing.

It can give off a picnic or potluck type of vibe as a pairing.

Garlic bread and soup – if you want a simple, wholesome, homemade pairing that can be eaten on the spot, make up a big batch of soup and give them out in small enough containers to be practical. Make garlic bread using large baguettes, and give each recipient a few slices.

About those baked goods – If you’d like to include a homemade baked good, cake is always going to be easier than cookies. If you’d like to do cookies, you can do bar ones rather than ones you need to roll out or shape. Another great idea for homemade-type cookies is saltine brittle.

Cake (or cookie mix) in a jar: stack the dry ingredients to your favorite recipe in a mason jar, and print a note with the rest of the recipe (wet ingredients + instructions). You’ll need to get a smaller scale recipe for this. It’s also not technically kosher to fulfill the mitzvah of Mishloach Manot, so make sure you send a kosher version to one person too (two ready-to-eat foods).

Easy Mishloach Manot Ideas that can go either way: buy OR DIY!

Some things can swing either way, so that you can choose what option suits you best.

Milk and cookies – a simple chocolate milk (“shoko besakit” if you’re in Israel) along with a jumbo cookie, as a reader suggested. You can buy bakery cookies or bake them.

Challah rolls and a dip or two. Some dips are very easy to make, and giving them in 4 oz containers help a batch go further. For example hummus is a quick toss-together in the food processor. Or, purchase dips. Of course, you can purchase the challah too! You can stack 2-3 such containers with olives, mini hot peppers, or pickles as well.

Challah and grape juice is another fabulous pairing, and totally practical!

Coffee and a croissant or muffin – hit up the bakery to make it easier!

Popcorn – It’s so easy to make or give in bulk, especially if you use these cute popcorn bags. You can theme it in so many directions, but it pairs very well with any drink because it’s salty. You can up it by making different flavors. But you don’t need to if you’d like to keep it simple.

Veggie and dips – If your budget isn’t VERY tight, but you’re short on time, get a small sectional food prep tray. Pair mini bell peppers, baby carrots, and other ready-cut munchies with a dip such as hummus, ranch, or anything that goes! Make or buy the dips.

More tips to simplify things

Paper gift/favor bags with handles are pricey but make very quick packages. Paper bags without handles are much cheaper, but can quickly look like packed lunch. Tip: Fold over the top of a solid colored bag twice (to hide the edge), punch two holes and tie your ribbon through those holes – after filling – to up the classy factor!

You can also use a pretty sticker to seal fold-top bags, just make sure it’s a very high quality sticker, and big enough, so that it stays closed.

Self-sealing bags are much cheaper and also easy, but more specific with what you put in. I used those this year and they’re so, so easy and classy! It’s like cellophane but without the waste, fluff, and plastic bits all over.

Print a pretty tag or label to upgrade the package in a low-key way. Or, if prioritizing time is more important than saving money, buy Purim stickers from the store.

As I shared above with the pencil pouch idea, sometimes getting an adorable gift-type package in bulk means you can fill it with anything in seconds and have a really nice, sweet (pun intended) package. Depending on your budget, some ideas can be:

• Good travel mugs
• Or, get these insanely cheap ones (I love using these at home).
• Washing cup
• Cosmetic bags
• Water bottles or tumblers
• Tote bags

Got any other super easy and cheap Mishloach Manot ideas to add to the list? Comment below!

The post 25 Easy (and Cheap) Mishloach Manot Ideas appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

This huge list of Purim themes and ideas for Mishloach Manot and costumes is designed for the family that chooses to go all out with themes! If you’re just looking for Mishloach Manot ideas and tips, I have you covered there too! This post contains affiliate links.

Are you a family that loves to build your Purim around a theme? We are too!

While I don’t always do this, when I a have the energy for it, it really tickles my creative bone. I just love the challenge.

This post is absolutely not meant to create pressure around Purim. In fact, you can ready my best tips for a cheaper Purim here – and some years we just stick to hand-me-down costumes.

It’s meant to be a sort of “directory” for families that want to have a Purim theme to be able to skim and choose, or get inspired to come up with something new!

I tried to keep things as adaptable to different family sizes as possible, and as expandable as I could. Some might require DIY, some are all costumes you can buy, and some are a mix of all of the above.

I included some costume themes, and some Mishloach Manot themes without costumes attached too.

Some are combinable, however if it makes a great Mishloach package on its own, I decided to include it as a separate list.

I hope you enjoy these 101 Purim themes for Mishloach Manot, costumes, and beyond!

Purim Themes for Family Costumes

Got young kids? My best bit of advice is to let THEM be the starting point for your theme! What are they into these days? Do they have an idea of they want to dress up as? Maybe you can give them a list of options that would work for you and make your final decision based on that?

I highly recommend that you browse through HalloweenCostumes.com for inspiration – they have loads of ideas based on grouped themes!

However you choose to go about finalizing your plans, these Purim themes are all super fun:

Mickey Mouse and Friends – As our 2025 theme, this one is a really big winner for everyone. It might seem very “classic” but few people go forward with the whole gang – and it has a super cool vibe!

Plus, EVERYONE is thrilled with their costumes. Husband and I are Donald and Daisy – an adorable couples’ choice, M is totally suited for Goofy, Y loves being the “main guy” Mickey, A is obsessed with Minnie and Baby Jay thinks his Pluto suit is hysterical. And since it’s such a classic, it’s easy to get each costume in whichever size you need. I haven’t yet figured out if I’m doing a matching Mishloach for this.

Super Mario – This was our 2023 theme. I was Princess Peach, my husband will be Bowser, M is Mario, Y is Luigi, and A is Yoshi because that’s the cutest costume ever.

Iconic toys or games – You can do one toy for the whole family or each person another toy. We’re doing it this year! Some are listed individually but here are more ideas:

• Playing Cards – queen of hearts, king of spades, joker, etc
• Monopoly – you can go for different elements of the game, the characters, or the iconic playing pieces.
• Raggedy Ann/Andy
• Cabbage Patch
• Nintendo Gameboy

Our 2024 theme was toys! Our family went as…

• Husband and I are Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head
• M & Y are Bumblebee and Optimus Prime Transformers (yes, the toys came before the movies)
• A is a Squishmallow (she wears this costume at every opportunity post-Purim too!) This one is going to fit her for years to come as it’s a 1-size fits all. 3 would be the bottom end of it, but it might still work when she’s 12…
• Baby Jay is a Teddy Bear! Size up on this one if your baby is chunky – it’s somewhat slim.

Birds of a feather – Peacock, swan, raven, cardinal, flamingo, etc

Lego – Just bricks and figures or the movie characters. We were actually going to do this this year but then we pivoted to the Super Mario theme above.

Crayons – Or a mix of supplies.

Monuments – Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Mt. Rushmore, etc. You can even turn this into a whole travel theme (and yes, I have a separate idea for a travel theme below.)

Characters – Choose your favorite show and intersperse the characters between family members. This is popular with kids’ costumes but can be done with adults costumes too. From PJ Masks or Paw Patrol to Harry Potter and other more mature shows, start with what your kids are into these days!

More specific ideas:

• Wizard of Oz
• Addams family – But beware that the spooky factor might make it feel Halloween-y.
• Toy Story
• Monsters, inc
• Alladin
• Incredibles
• Sesame Street

Book Characters – Or choose any iconic storybook and start from there (and yes, there is some controversial overlap with the previous!) It can be Eric Carle books, Mimi & Simmy, or whatever it is you’re digging. Since kids sometimes dress up as these for school, there are LOADS of DIY ideas out there.

We’re going with it this year with a book/screen adaptations, generously gifted by HalloweenCostumes.com. We didn’t choose a specific series simply because my family has different needs and we couldn’t find one that worked for everyone. So we zoomed out and went broader, and went with favorite characters that can be read about or watched!

We’re Carmen Sandiego, Harry Potter, Ariel, Griffindor student (let’s call him Ron ‘cuz why not), Clifford, and Luke Skywalker.

Tip: Use this link to order and you’ll get 15% off (through March 3, 2026).

More specific ideas:

• Savta Simcha
• Where the Wild Things Are
• Harold + Purple Crayon + Police
• Madeline & friends – great for an all-girls family! Daddy can be Dr. Cohn
• Elephant & Piggy (and the pigeon)
• Different books from the If you Give a Mouse a Cookie series
• Clifford book characters – little Clifford, big Clifford, Emily Elizabeth, T-bone…
• Dog Man characters
• Curious George

Toy soldiers or trophies – Dress up like a soldier or athlete – only make everyone solid one color. Do khaki for toy soldiers, gold/silver/bronze for trophy.

The Jews of Israel – Go show off the diversity of Israel – without caricaturizing or making fun! Dress up as Na’Nach, settler-style, taxi driver, Yerushalmi…

Cops & Robbers – Parents can be cops and the kids the robbers! Catch me if you can!

Marathon runners – complete with numbered shirts, running shoes, and sweatbands.

Space – Sun, moon, stars, astronaut, Nasa scientist. We did this last year – and yes, you can find more details in my big list of costume ideas for Purim.

Superhero – Go all-out with Marvel goodness! You can all be the same one, or opt to be different ones. Spiderman, Superman, Hulk, Iron-man, Batman… and of course you need a Wonder Woman!

Where’s Waldo – This is a popular theme that never fails to be totally adorable. You can switch it up a bit by dressing up like different characters – Waldo, Odlaw, Wenda, Wizard Whitebeard… Bonus points if you have a dog to dress up as Woof!

Circus – There are many ways to do a circus theme. You can all be decked-out circus animals, circus performers, or a mix.

Animal Grouping: Safari, farm animal, etc – add a birthday hat and you’re party animals. Use leftover hats to package your Mishloach Manot.

Millennials – or gen Z. Or any other generation.

Community helpers – either each one different, or any one as a family theme

• Firefighters – you can have dalmatians too
• Police
• Nurses
• Doctors
• Ambulance drivers
• Mail Carriers…

Dinosaurs/prehistoric – You can be different types of dinosaurs, or different prehistoric animals in addition to dinosaurs.

Explorers – You can mix this with safari animals, or all dress up as explorers.

Park rangers – mix with US wild animals – wolves, bears, eagles.

Sharks – just plain sharks, or go for the Baby Shark family.

Mythical creatures – Mermaids, unicorns, dragons, trolls, fairies, ogres, cyclops, goblins, gnomes…

Comic book characters – and I don’t mean specific ones! Here’s a good example of what I mean. You can build on the comic book cake trend for this.

Historical figures: George Washington, Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Cleopatra, Shakespeare…

Inventors: Albert Einstein, Nicola Tesla, Thomas Edison, Marie Curie, Benjamin Franklin…

Iconic presidents – George Washington, Abe Lincoln, FDR, Eisenhower, Kennedy…

Purim Themes for Mishloach Manot

On a tight budget? When choosing Purim themes for Mishloach Manot, I do recommend starting with the supplies you can find and building around that, especially if you have lots of people to give.

Color – Stick to a simple color-focused theme. I recommend purchasing acetate boxes and arranging a few items in 1-2 similar colors or color families together for a gorgeous, low-effort package. Cool accessories can make all the difference.

Flavor – Similar to color, you can stick to an all-flavor theme (orange, chocolate, mint, cheese)

Fruit – It’s not that hard to get fruit themed foods, including fruit candy!

Fruit basket – I’ve done this in mini and maxi. Mini included berries and grapes in a small glass bowl. I used these incredibly inexpensive prep bowls two years in a row (for the candies below too). Maxi was an actual basket with fresh fruit – get what’s on sale – and possibly a fruit juice. You can also combine this idea with the previous AND the next and make a mini fruit basket candy bowl.

Candy bowl – I made a mini candy bowl that says “take one” one year, and combined it with chocolate and a mini liqueur.

Israel – Any grouped Israel theme can work here:

• You can do Israeli snacks (Bissli, halva…)
• Israeli cuisine (falafel, hummus)
• or Shivat Haminim (Medjool dates, grape juice, pomegranate bark…)
• Flavors of the Shuk – you can include bourekas, pitzuchim (sunflower and watermelon seeds) or other nuts in paper bags with tops rolled down, gummy candies in pastic bags tied with a loose knot at the top, dried fruit, flavored olives, etc.

Of course, you can group this with one of your Israel costume themes.

Smoothie bowl (fixings) – Some fresh blueberries, a small almond milk, granola and whatever else you’d like to include.

Cookout – Include anything bbq and/or s’mores themed. Package them using gingham fast food trays.

Shabbat Foods – There are so many ways to do this, and while it’s a popular theme for Friday Purims, you can do it any year! Go for challah with dips – my friend once did a garlic confit that was easy but so good. Toss in a grape juice.

Trader Joe’s – or Aldi if that’s more your vibe. IYKYK.

Candy Shots – Not really a theme but beautiful presentation by my friend. It’s perfect for when you want to give a nice gift. You can also scale it down with two shot glasses packaged in cellophane.

Millennial foodie: avocado toast – or fixings for it – sourdough of course, cold brewed coffee or matcha tea, cauliflower anything, other than cauliflower itself, overnight oats in a mason jar of course, or any other trendy foods.

Tea Party – Pair tea bags with biscuits, a little bit of honey, or a tasty pastry.

Secret chocolate stash – I actually made this as a fun Chanukah gift, but since it’s food it’s fabulous for Purim too! Just put in two different kinds. A mini chocolate liqueur can work too.

Smiles – For a Mishenichnas Adar Marbim Besimcha theme (highlighting the idea of the Hebrew month of Adar being a time of extra joy.) Your base should be yellow. Twizzlers smiles, candy eyes, smiley face gumballs… there are more options out there but you can also simply fill in with yellow foods.

Emojis – The above but get emoji packaging. Mix in heart shaped foods, candy drops for tears, and anything else you can find!

Rainbow – You can make all the colors of the rainbow individually, or find a few full-rainbows to include.

Fast food – Hot dogs in buns with the fixings, a bottle or can of coke, fries if you can make them fresh…

Milk & Cookies – Just exactly that. You can give small cartons of milk with packets of two chocolate chip cookies. Or give any kind of prepackaged cookies with chocolate milk.

Bartender – Combine cocktail fixings in a small glass from the dollar tree. For upgraded packages, include a cocktail shaker as a gift.

Comfort food – Chicken noodle soup, potato chips, chocolate….

Sushi – You can theme it with add-ons, or just give sushi. Yum!

Asian-food – or any other favorite cultural food group. I did a soft-Asian themed one with sesame noodles and the Arizona tea that has in it Ginseng and honey. It’s a great combo too!

More ideas:

• Mexican
• Indian – Ethiopian to symbolize King Achashverosh’s kingdom
• Or, just Persian…
• Italian

Kiddush/Shabbat Lunch – Another great combo is potato kugel and beer! This was my husband’s genius, actually. We actually softly-tied it into our space theme one year, but that can be done with any food.

US themed – Go around the US and choose different foods from different states. You’ll need to stick with just a few to make it doable, or choose your home state and make it exclusively based on that. Some ideas: Arizona teas, Wisconsin cheese, etc.

Boards – Make a mini “board” on a dollar tree cutting board. Heads up: this one can get pricey. Go for the dairy or meat version.

• Do a dairy cheese board with cheese, olives, grapes, crackers.
• A meat charcuterie can have deli meats, nuts, pickles, and mustard.

Purim Themes for Both

The costumes here mostly work as their own costumes as well, without a matching Mishloach. A lot of the Mishloach Manot ideas here can seem a bit odd on their own – but some work that way too. I have more tips below for tying anything in with anything so if you don’t find what you need, just keep scrolling!

Purim – Lottery: Dress up like the nouveau riche – in a tasteless blinged-up costume and hand out a lottery ticket (or money) themed Mishloach Manot. We did the lottery angle and gave out an actual scratch-off. We added in chocolate coins and butterscotch candies in a tulle round “money sack”. We just wore dollar store beaded necklaces as our costume. Our kids dressed up as whatever they wanted.

Coffee – The family can dress up like Starbucks or Dunkin staff and give out a coffee themed (or branded) Mishloach Manot. Don’t forget the donut!

Special Deliveries – Dress up as UPS, FedEx, USPS, and/or Amazon staff and give out packages (with anything inside) in cardboard boxes or bubble mailers with shipping label-stye labels. Tie off with packaging twine. Tip: get simple Kraft boxes to mimic delivery boxes.

Newsies – and wrap your packages in newspaper!

Minions – And of course, give out a banana themed package.

Sports – Dress up as the athletes of your favorite sport to follow and give out the foods you’d be served at the game.

Under the Sea – Dress up as different sea items – octopus, mermaid, fish, seaweed, Loch Ness... and give out something fishy! It can be sushi, seaweed snacks, jelly fish, fake sushi (I’ve seen this done with rice krispie treats, etc) or just assorted sea themed items. Or package your usual in a boat-shaped package.

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory – Make a chocolate themed mishloach (bars + liqueur + brownies) or opt for the different themes that the kids got trapped in – blueberry, bubble gum, etc.

Farmers – and give out farm-fresh themed foods! Egg salad, chocolate milk, and maybe some fresh bread to go with the egg salad.

Construction – For Mishloach manot, give out LEGO candies, mekupelet chocolate logs, or any other building material types of things you can find.

Decades or eras – You can go as far as the cavemen, or as recent as the 90s. Give out foods from that era or that were popular then. If you do a more recent decades, you can give out any candy that existed then – if you can find clear enough photos of the wrappers how they were then (assuming they were rebranded since). Mock them up into new wrappers! So cool!

Winnie the Pooh – and give out a hunny themed Mishloach!

Monkeys – with a banana themed Mishloach Manot. You can wear nightcaps or pajamas on top of monkey costumes and then you’re no more monkeys jumping on the bed.

Bridal – Got little girlies who need to be a “kallah” (bride) year after year? My sister humored hers by making a bridal themed Mishloach to match. She decorated simple cupcakes with white fondant and pearls and paired it with a can of Bartenura Moscato – YUM!

Weather – you can choose seasons – fall, winter, spring – or weather elements – rain, snow, wind. Choose candies and foods that fit, such as Smirnoff ice, cotton candy – clouds, popcorn snow balls, etc.

Dr Seuss – Dress up as characters from any of his books. Give out either fantastical foods based on his books (cotton candy, etc) or give out simple rhymes: fish (jelly fish) in a dish, rice (krispy treats) shaped like dice, etc. You can even just make it teal, red, and white to vibe with his books.

Parents to be – IF you’re expecting and want a simple, low energy theme, you can literally just exaggerate your current condition. Dad leave a 5:00 shadow, wear pajamas – bonus points for oversized – and sneakers, paint bags under your eyes, carry a beer or two… Mom, wear the biggest hoodie you can find, a mom bun (if you can swing that). Mishloach is wine or beer, tums, a frozen (yes, frozen) container of soup, all packaged in an aluminum pan.

Food groups – You can dress up as actual foods and match your Mishloach Manot to your costumes. A few ideas:

• Condiments – dress up like ketchup, mustard, mayo… and then you can give out any foods that go with that, along with restaurant packets of food. French fries, hot dogs in buns, etc
• Cereal and milk – and of course, give out a breakfast package! You can even dress up like cereal mascots.
• Candy bars – and pair them with the same bars in your package

Artists – give out pencil cases full of colorful foods. You can even toss in a few actual art supplies, especially for young kids.

Hearts – Take advantage of post Valentine’s sales and give a heart themed Mishloach Manot. Make sure to dress up all heartsy too. You can dress up as heart cards: Queen of Hearts, King of Hearts, Jack… etc. Kids can dress up as their number in the family or their age if single digits.

Drunkin Grownups – If you’re a DIYer, or you can find parody shirts, you can go Purim-friendly with a Drunkin Grownups theme. Give out beer, rumballs, Some next-day Dunkin coffee, or whatever else might fit. You might want to skip this if you have kids.

Masquerade – If you want to take advantage of post Mardi gras sales, you can do a masquerade theme. You can use simple eye masks as the basis for your Mishloach Manot package. And if you want to get really creative, wrap your foods – any foods – in deceptive packaging.

Candyland – The best way to do this is to pull out the Candyland board game and see if you can become the characters! And then give out the different foods: peppermint candies, twirly lollies, gummies, caramels, some sort of chocolate, and of course, ice cream candies. You can also dress up as the candies themselves.

Careers – I have called some out above (DON’T tell me artist isn’t a career!!) but here are some more quick ideas:

• Sailor – and match it with the under the sea themed package above.
• Architect – You can give anything in a house-shaped box or unfinished wood birdhouse.
• Lawyer
• Accountant – Give one drink, two bags of chips, three twizzlers (the kind that comes individually wrapped), four cookies, five candies, etc.
• Writer – If you’re not giving too many and you have time, you can use this free printable pencil box template I designed years ago.
• Influencer – you can have lots of fun with this! Dress up over-hyped with fashion, grab a camera and a selfie stick, and give out: applesauce cups – but replace the cover with a face cream brand, some sort of container of vitamins, and if you can find a camera themed candy you’re covered! Otherwise, cover a chocolate bar with a phone wrapper. You might need to custom design that.

Tropical – Dress up Hawaiian, or tropical in another way – maybe even as Pineapples. Give pineapple + Hawaiian punch, tropical Mike & Ikes…

The anti costume – There was one year that I just didn’t want to costume. Turned out, I was in early pregnancy and yes, it WAS 2020. How did you guess? My kids chose what they wanted. And I made shirts for me and my husband that said on it: Superhero in Disguise.

You can also do:

• This is my Purim costume
• 404 Error – costume not found…

If you want to theme it, give out drinks that say “I just came for the booze”. And something else because you need to… Label the second item as “the second min”.

Villains Jewish edition – Haman, Antiochus, Pharaoh and give out all black and red or something else that can signify evil. Snakes (or gummy worms), maybe hot things too…

Alice in Wonderland: And give out the tea party themed Mishloach Manot above. You can even package it in a top hat, with bunnies, and hearts….

Tourists – Go all in on the cameras, sandals, and sun hats. Dad should definitely wear awkward huge shorts. Package it in a suitcase or map bags, and toss in a few foods from destinations you might go to – California raisins, Israeli Bissli, Florida citrus…

Buckingham Palace Guards – And of course, pair it with a Mishloach full of English foods. Digestives, Twinings tea with a small carton of milk, fish & chips…

More theme tie in tips

One year, I proved that you can tie anything in with anything based on packaging. To make a Mishloach Manot that fit with our family’s space theme, I packaged the potato kugel and beer I wanted to give anyway in the spirit of things. I got star plates as a base, and made custom labels on my Cricut for the kugel pan covers that said “have an out of this world Purim”.

The Coronita bottles that were in most packages matched the whole navy and gold aesthetic. I cut small star ribbon sliders on my Cricut and used contrasting navy and gold ribbons.

I could have taken it a step further by including my “out of this world” kugel recipe, and sharing that if you drink too much beer, you’ll black out and see stars, but I ditched that.

So here’s my strategy for making what you want to give anyway fit with your theme in a low-key, easy way:

• Make the packaging match
• Scour themed party supplies for goody bags or other favors you can include.
• Scour Etsy for themed party printables for water bottles, chip bags, chocolate bars…

There are so many themed printables and party supplies out there already that you might just find what you need if you’re a little creative! Many kids’ tv shows create party printables for parents to use when making themed parties.

I do recommend sticking to a simple color scheme, like I did with the kugels above. But even if you don’t, it can be really cute!

When the family dressed up as PJ Masks, I grabbed some printables from their website to use to wrap fruit leathers and add “flags” to wrapped individual Twizzlers. You can do that with ANY straw topper printable. I included some stickers and foam flyers for the preschoolers we were giving them to.

And finally, if you do Purim themes year after year, and find yourself often getting elements customized, it might be time to invest in a Cricut. Since most of what you’ll want to customize will be with vinyl or paper, the basic full-sized model – the Explore (Air 2 or 3) – will be perfect.

The Joy won’t allow you to bulk-produce as much as you might like.

If you have tween or teenage kids, they can help you with doing all that work.

Got any Purim themes or tips to add to the list? Comment below!

The post 101+ Purim Themes for Mishloach Manot & Costumes! appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

It’s a matter of pride and creativity for Jewish women (and maybe men too) everywhere: creating a classy and beautiful Mishloach Manot package to distribute. Personally, I like to make things look really nice, but without going broke.

While these mishloach manot ideas do NOT focus on cost effectiveness, they’ll naturally be more realistic than what you might see in other publications as that’s just my style: I don’t like to overspend. So while budget is very personal, and I have definitely accommodated a few different budget types here, these will mostly not be crazy.

Now, before those of you who may have burnt out before yell at me: no, you do NOT have to do this. The mitzvah is two foods to one person. That is all.

Many people, however, want to give more to say thanks, be neighborly, welcome someone, and participate in the overall atmosphere of togetherness that Mishloach Manot creates.

Others (like me) thrive on the creative outlet that it provides. And frankly, while not all my packages have been picture-perfect, I love thinking of a craft to include (there are a few ideas below but most of these don’t require crafting).

How to Build a Classy Mishloach Manot Package

First and foremost, the ability to put together a classy package will be a powerful tool in your arsenal whatever it is you’re doing. Especially if you’re not working with a specific theme, you’ll want to assemble something aesthetically pleasing.

And it’s not that hard to create something that looks like it came off the shelves of a local candy store!

My goal here is to teach everyone that they can put together a gorgeous package. I had intended to go out and stage a some packages for you, however unfortunately a certain preschooler got in the way. I did create a few new options, using overlapping products for different budgets and results, just to show you how you can seriously adjust and customize for your needs.

Container ideas for Mishloach Manot

When focusing on aesthetics, I tend to start with the container. The reasoning is simple: the contents need to fit the container. Contents seem to have infinite choices, and I do find containers to be more limiting.

Obviously, you can reverse that, but it just seems better that way to me.

Here are a few container ideas for mishloach manot:

• Most budget friendly: cellophane bags. Since most of what you’ll want to do will require a little cellophane or outer wrap, why not get sturdy clear bags and assemble a classy package in one of those? No need for a “middle” container. Just line things up neatly, tie with a ribbon and you’re done. Don’t forget that label so that everyone knows who it came from!

• Clear acrylic- Lucite is a trend that may go away, but for now, its minimalism makes things easy. It can be pricey and is more of a gift package. Go neat and spare with the contents. Clear plastic is fantastic if you’re going for a pop of color, as the container will really highlight that. And you can find all sorts of lucite gifts to incorporate! Washing cups, cosmetic organizers or trays, and more make great containers and gifts. If you want a more budget-friendly alternative, go for thinner clear acrylic. It’s not as gift-worthy, but you can make gorgeous minimalist packages with it.

• Studier than cellophane but cheaper than lucite, you’ll find that acetate boxes look fantastic. The only drawback is, they definitely are throwaways.

• Serving trays and food canisters are great options if you want to go a step above. We’ve hit up the dollar store for classier bowls that can be repurposed as serving dishes. If you’re looking for a more gift-type package, dip dishes as well as actual platters are so pretty.

• Dollar Store containers are a great option. They have a beautiful selection of jars, and 2-packs of reusable coffee cups (I love using these IRL!). They also have great clear disposables that can be used to get the look of lucite or acetate but possibly cheaper.

• I love the look of wooden trays and boxes. As a crafter, I repurpose these when I receive them, but others might not.

• Reusable baskets: If creating higher end packages in baskets, opt for fabric rather than wicker, as they’re more likely to be reused as home decor.

What to put inside your Mishloach Manot

Contents can be such a tricky issue. There’s so much waste that happens – people simply receive too much junk they don’t need. There’s the “homemade things are the BEST” camp and the “NO ONE wants your cooking” camp. I’m somewhere in the middle. I like to give people I know well homemade the years that I can swing it, but for others, especially those who get hundreds of packages and might miss perishables, be pickier with kashrut, etc, skip the homemade.

Ideas by category

Here are some tips for choosing your contents for aesthetically pleasing mishloach manot ideas as well as some additional thought-starters.

• Stick to a color scheme – that doesn’t mean that it needs to be all one color. Unless you want it to be. Warm colors or cool colors, neutrals or even black and white – these schemes will create themselves. Some years, I’ve just started with that one sale item or wine I wanted to put in and then build around those. You can even aim for all creams and golds – how gorgeous would that be?!

For kids, especially, all you need is a color plan. Pack it in cellophane bags and you’re good to go.

• Flavor theme – you can also build loads of mishloach manot ideas around flavor themes. Lemon or citrus, chocolate, mint – there really are endless choices once you start thinking that way.

• Get ideas from store sales – This might seem like odd advice, but really, it’s good. Start with that item that really catches you. Build around that – even if it’s not all the sale items. When building fancier “thank you” packages, we’ve started with the sale chocolate bars, and moved on to other products that matched.

• Non-Chometz items: People get so much garbage on Purim. If you give non-chometz items, such as chocolate bars, candies, and drinks, they won’t need to get rid of it before Pesach (not everyone sells their chametz). Also, you can even give Kosher for Passover for some items!

• Real Food: We tend to forget to eat on Purim, and so real food can be really welcome. Also, the original goal of Mishloach Manot was to provide for the Purim feast. This goes back to the homemade vs non-homemade debate, so definitely do what works for you. Some Real food ideas: fruit, salad, whichever recipe everyone goes crazy over every time you make it, kugels, bourekas, sourdough challah… I included some more ideas for homemade mishloach manot later in this post.

• Drinks: Wines can be expensive. Grape juice is the obvious choice but the more creative tend to shun it as too obvious. You can also give cheaper alcoholic drinks: beer, Smirnoff Ice, hard seltzer, hard cider, regular seltzer. Mini liqueurs aren’t usually prohibitive either and are very classy. Iced coffee or shelf-stable cappuccino is delish and mini juices are practical too.

A note about allergies: as a mother of a child who is seriously allergic to traces of nuts and sesame, it’s always nice to receive items with allergen information intact. Many people repackage. And honestly, I get very anxious at the sight of pistachios (his most serious nut that’s also very messy and dusty). I don’t have that nut in my home at all. So while it’s impossible to accommodate everyone, it is a wise choice to get in the habit of doing the following, so that Purim can continue to be fun for everyone:

• Avoid top 9 allergens where you have the choice, especially when it comes to crumby, repackaged, or messy foods. I understand that not everyone will accommodate everyone (especially all top nine), but if you’re holding two options in your hands, why not choose the one that’ll bring more simchat yom tov to more people?
• Include allergen information on your packages. If repackaging items, add a sticker with allergen info. A slip of paper in the package can work as well.
• If including homemade items, consider listing ingredients on what you include as well.

Some allergy-free snack ideas for kids

When it comes to kids, it’s incredibly kind to keep things allergy-friendly to some degree. Here are some great things you can get online that veer more allergy-friendly:

• Fruit leather or strips
• Dum Dum Lollies
• Twizzlers (not soy, wheat-free)
• Pringles (not wheat free). Chips are also an easy food to find allergy free – just check the ingredients.
• These cookies (contains eggs, wheat, soy may contain traces of dairy- but a great nut free cookie option!)
• Made Good granola bars, etc are top 9 allergen free

Adding that Extra Touch

Finishing your package right adds the touch that makes all the difference. Here are some ideas and “don’t forgets”

Don’t forget the labels!

How many years have you forgotten about labels? Unless you’re serious about your theme and get custom cards printed in advance, it’s easy to overlook them. It’s probably the most commonly overlooked item. I know my best day for selling my printable labels is on Purim!! Don’t forget the labels! You’ll probably be dropping at least one package at a door handing it to a kid or a spouse that doesn’t know you. Having a label on it means they know it came from you.

Outer Package

if you’re not using a bag to begin with, you’ll likely want to cello wrap your package. I highly recommend investing in cellophane bags (make sure you choose the correct size.) It’ll make your wrapping much easier, and if you have a baby or toddler, you don’t want those cellophane scraps from your packaging endeavors.

Tie it up

Whichever type of package you create, adding a color-coordinated ribbon makes a huge difference. Actually, your ribbon can be your whole theme tie-in – great idea if you want to do a theme but not go all out. Just get a ribbon that works with your costumes and you have a theme! Tip: prices seem to be all over the place: check roll size!! Some cheap rolls will only cover a couple of packages.

Some great options:

• Raffia for a more organic look
• Colorful wired organza ribbon
• Textured ribbon such as this lace one
• Of course, adding loads of layers of curling ribbon can also look nice.
• Premade ribbons and pull bows save loads of time and are great if you want a professional finish but aren’t great at it.

Finishing touches

There are so many ways you can give a professional final touch. Just add something to the front of your bow, or tuck it into the ribbon. Some favorites:

• Dried florals – lavender stems, for example would look gorgeous paired with raffia
• Themed shapes – I plan to cut stars on my Cricut and add that to the bow on my packages
• Gift tags – these serve as double duty labels and finishing touches if you make ’em pretty. See these Purim tags if you’re into DIY or buy some and tack your label on.

Mishloach Manot I’ve done over the years

My original goal with this post was to create a yearly-updated list of mishloach manot ideas based on what we’ve done. However, I realized my style is very specific so I expanded above. But I still hope to update this list yearly with the details of what we’ve done!

There are some holes in the list as I didn’t feel it important to share the years we brought a huge bag of chocolate from Costco to my in-laws in Israel and called it mishloach manot (and of course other years we missed).

• 2022 – Kugel & Beer: I made 1 lb potato kugels and packaged it with beer – we got coronitas, which are smaller Coronas. I tied it in with our outer space costumes – showing how anything can be turned into a theme.
  
  I got star plates to use as a tray to hold it together and I wrapped it in basket bags with blue and gold ribbon.

• 2021 – Purim: Last year, we decided to go with a unique theme: “Pur” from Purim means lottery (as in drawing lots for which day is best to commit genocide) so we used that to go with a lottery theme. I got round metal tins (it’s much cheaper if you have an Amazing Savings near you), added coin faces with my Cricut, and put in each one: a dollar scratch off, a “sack of gold” – a few butterscotch candies in an organza round, and chocolate coins. I included the ingredients/hechsher of the repackaged candies on a note. I wrapped it with gold elastic and added a few plastic beads as a finishing touch.
  
  If I’m gonna be frank, this idea was born of my skepticism regarding the amount of food waste that happens on Purim… But maybe lottery tickets are more wasteful? It’s definitely not for everyone. Regardless, it was a cute gimmick and a few recipients won $1-2.

• 2020 – Candy Bowls: As my first year with a Cricut, I decided to make something simple to personalize super cheap glass food prep bowls. I find these to be so versatile for dips, and I had some leftover from another year, so I just got more and personalized them. I added “take one” with a candy to each, filled it with candy, and paired it with chocolate and a mini liqueur. I really like how small and easy to transport these were and you can see how the green, gold, and brown color scheme kept things classy. They really hit home with people who have a lot of foot traffic in their offices or homes, however my timing on this was way off…

• 2019 – Kugel and beer: This was the first time I did kugel and beer. It was a great combo, however I made the mistake of making nine inch round kugels. No one needs that much and it was just too much for me to prep considering I was hosting a big crowd the next day.

• 2018 – Fruit bowl – This is the first year I used the dollar store glass food prep bowls, only I made mini fruit “baskets”. The size is very small in the four pack. Dollar Tree used to carry three packs that were a bit larger and worked better for these. I stuck to strawberries and grapes, however you can put in any in-season produce to cut costs. I’d even recommend sticking to berries – it didn’t work as well with grapes. Using a larger bowl might even work better for you!

• Fruit Basket (full) – I don’t remember everything we did the years we lived in Israel, however I do know we only gave to a handful of people, one of them being my in-laws. So we spent a bit more, putting together beautiful fruit baskets, in actual baskets, with a fruit juice as well. People very much appreciate receiving fruit. Some ideas can include mandarin oranges, mangos, pineapples… Often, one costs what adding in a coffee or wafer rolls would and it’s so much more useful!

• 2010 – Sesame noodles: The first year after we got married, I made delicious sesame noodles (before I even had a real inkling of what food allergies were…) We paired it with Arizona tea. We got lots of thanks! Most people were gifted it in cute ceramic dollar store bowls, however, for those we felt might have fuller houses on Purim, we used glass pie dishes.

More ideas for Mishloach Manot

Mishloach Manot Themes

• Breakfast theme – Coffee, granola, bananas or oranges, orange juice
• Chocolate and chocolate with more chocolate – chocolate milk, obviously chocolate, chocolate cookies, etc
• Nautical: this is an easy one to pull off, with a focus on navy blues and rope, anchor cutouts…
• Shabbat themed packages are popular for years when Purim is Thursday or Friday.

I hope to pull together a bigger list dedicated to themes next year!

Homemade ideas and real food

• Challah and dips (hummus, matbucha)
• Kugel and seltzer (if you don’t want to go with beer or another light alcoholic beverage)
• Salad bar
• Pasta salad and iced tea (for a picnic vibe)
• Chips and salsa
• Cut veggies with a dipping sauce
• Mini charcuterie – if you have the fridge space!
• Mini cheese board
• Savory hamantaschen – see our favorite hamantaschen recipes here.

Cool ideas from other online creatives

• This Energy Mix by Esther Ottensoser for Family Table is so fun for a science theme.
• And this Color Me one is fun for kids and kid-oriented families.
• Esther Ottensoser also shares great ideas on her own website, including this green apple package.
• I love this movie night idea!
• This Sesame Street idea is absolutely incredible (warning: it’s all in Hebrew, though).
• Jumbo “candies” are so fun for kids – you can purchase craft tubes for hygiene reasons.
• My favorites from this list are the decorated boxes and the ice cream cones – I mean how amazing are those ice cream cones?!

Got any Mishloach Manot ideas to add to the list? Comment below!

The post Mishloach Manot Ideas: Tips for Assembling a Gorgeous Package appeared first on Jewish Moms & Crafters.

When looking for costume ideas for Purim, many people look to incorporate specific things. Some people like to dress up as a family. Some like to “keep it in the spirit”. And sometimes the struggle of looking for Purim costume ideas at a time when only a small amount of people are is real.

This list of ideas for Purim costumes includes regular ones, Jewish ones, and everything in between. A lot of buy and a little bit of DIY and you have a robust selection of ideas. It includes family themes and individual costumes too (we sometimes do themes and sometimes we each do our own thing.)

One of my favorite tips for saving money on Purim costumes is to use real clothing elements you’ll reuse later. Some can be assembled into costumes without crafting (think: a professor will wear a tweed jacket that can later be reused as exactly that). Some need embellishments added. When embellishing, use removable fabric tape so that you can reuse the clothing.

Don’t skip over the comment section! Drop your costume ideas for Purim that you’ve done too so that others can enjoy.

And on that note, I highly recommend you check out my Purim planner which includes a brainstorm page and a page for planning all the elements of your costumes.

I’ve linked to ideas, tutorials, and products where possible but for a few of these you might just need to be creative yourself!

Jewish and Purim Ideas

Wan to dress up in the spirit of Purim? Here are some Jewish ideas that are Purim-specific.

People from the Torah

Choose your favorite Torah heros and give them a go with some imagined looks.

• DIY Fake Beard – virtually any male bible character needs a beard, right? Make one with fake fur and this easy tutorial!

• Breast Plate – Want to go all Kohen Gadol? Print a choshen mishpat – for a High Priest costume that’s easy to put together!

Some more specific ideas that go beyond the basics – the shoftim (judges), bnot tzelafchad (daughters of Tzelafchad) – this is great for a family with many girls! Try more obscure running themes like giants or kings. You can go for the shevatim (12 tribes) but instead of dressing up as them, dress up as their qualities and character traits. And finally, try going for a “Bible Villians” theme – think Pharaoh, Og, or whoever suits your style.

Characters of Purim

Don’t forget the characters of Purim when planning your costume ideas for Purim! It might seem boring, but it has so many opportunities for creativity and drama, and infusions of color. And while they can be pricey to purchase, think outside the box with DIY, assembling elements… I linked to a tricorn hat for Haman below, but you can try to make one out of an old or thrifted fedora by tacking down three sides!

Refer to these masks to help you out.

• Mordechai
• Esther
• Haman
• Vashti
• Achashverosh

Villians of Purim

Don’t forget the villians! Want to do something Purim-centric but not boring? Do a Purim Villians theme!

You can once again check out these Purim masks to help you out with this!

• Achashverosh
• Haman
• Bigsan/Seresh
• Zeresh
• Vashti is a bit controversial historically. Babylonian Rabbis have traditionally viewed her as a villian (based on her abuse of Jewish women) and the Rabbis of Israel viewed her (mostly) positively. Choose if you’d like to include her as a villian or not.

Items of Purim

Go super original with your Purim theme and dress up like the different objects that are used on Purim. It might be slightly harder to dress up as these, and I recommend it if you’re good at DIY.

• Gragger
• Megillah
• Bottle of wine
• Charity box (just make sure your child knows not to actually try swallowing coins!)
• Hamantaschen

Kosher animals:

Want to specifically dress up as Kosher animals? Try these and add your own to the list.

• Chick
• Cow
• Deer
• Duck
• Fish

Animals that are kosher but we don’t (mostly) eat

Even better, go with the theme of animals that are Kosher but many Jews don’t have a tradition to eat. I could only think of two but feel free to add to the list if you know of more.

• Giraffe
• Grasshopper
• Got any to add to the list?

Want to make your Purim prep easier, your feast table more beautiful, and your kids’ happier and busier? Get the printable Purim bundle today for 75% off the full value! It’s full of table decor planners, kids’ crafts, coloring pages, and more as well as mishloach manot labels

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Costume Ideas for Purim that aren’t Purim-Specific

Here are some costume ideas for Purim that aren’t Purim or Jewish specific. These are really just topic thought-starters to get your brainstorming going – add to the list if you’d like.

Careers

Whether your child has a career ambition or you just want to all dress up in a theme, careers are a popular choice for frugal costumes. Since real clothing elements can be incorporated into most of these, it’s super easy and affordable to put together. Tip: Use removable fabric tape to add any elements so that you can reuse the clothing after.

• UPS Truck Driver or other delivery services. I sort of regret not going along with the theme the year that M decided to be a “UPS man”. We would have done UPS, Fedex, and USPS, with toddler Y dressing up as a package (tan shirt with address, stamps, postmarks added). M did hand out his Mishloach Manot packages in a bubble mailer with a “shipping label”.

• Doctors or other medical teams. You can all dress as doctors or each choose another health related costume.
• Athlete
• Artist – just add paint splotches made from felt to any outfit, wear a very used smock or apron if you want, make a big easel out of cardboard, and a paintbrush out of a paper towel tube and some yarn. You can make straps to make the accessories easier to carry around, and if the person dressing up can handle it, add some face makeup in the form of paint smudges.
• Professor, teacher

Favorite Characters

Characters are a go-to for us as the kids really enjoy dressing up like their favorite shows. I’ll admit it’s less in the spirit of Purim, but I’m all for allowing my kids to choose and have fun. These are also the easiest to find year round. The cool thing is, when we do buy these costumes, they tend to wear them again and again for dress up – or even year after year.

Screen/Book Adaptations

One of my best costume-theme tips for when the family has very diverse demographics/interests is to zoom out. See what direction the kids are headed in. And see if you can come up with a broader theme for them to choose in.

This year, thanks again to HalloweenCostumes.com we’re going as screen/book adaptations. M is going to be Harry Potter, Y is Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, A will be Ariel from The Little Mermaid, and J is Clifford. I’ll be Carmen Sandiego (book, game AND TV series!) and my husband will be wearing a Hogwarts tie.

Tip: Use this link to order and you’ll get 15% off (through March 3, 2026).

Mickey, Minnie, and the Crew!

This year we’re going to be going as Mickey and the crew, sent to us by HalloweenCostumes.com again! We all opted for full costumes and every single kid is thrilled with theirs – the hallmark of a perfect family costume idea.

Dad & Mom are going to be Daisy and Donald Ducks, Baby Jay is the cutest Pluto you’ve ever seen. M is thrilled to be Goofy – it just suits him so perfectly. Y is excited to be the main player, Mickey, and A is always obsessed with Minnie Mouse so that’s spot on for her.

The costume details are fab – from included yellow tights/leggings, to Daisy’s cap, bow, and bangle. And I love that my costume is modest for my standards, and I can wear it without anything extra. The skirt is above the knee (I’m 5’6″ and leggy, wearing an XL), which I personally am okay with if I’m wearing tights, but it’s easy to just add a white pencil skirt underneath if you need it longer.

Since it’s a popular theme, it’s easy to get any of these in any size grouping – infant, toddler, kid, adult, and plus – so everyone can dress up as they’d like.

Super Mario

My kids are OBSESSED with anything Super Mario this year – A is even singing the Mario Kart 8 theme song all day! So when HalloweenCostumes.com reached out to provide us with costumes to share this year for Purim, we decided to go with it!

I was Princess Peach with a wig and crown and amulet. They have full-body costumes that are tzniut-friendly too, but not in maternity… Just add a shirt underneath if you need long sleeves.

My husband was Bowser.

M was Mario and Y was Luigi.

I was going to have A be Princess Peach originally (and I was going to be Yoshi) but then I saw the toddler Yoshi costume and I knew we HAD to go with that one!

More character ideas:

• Sesame Street – I was expecting Y at the time. M had named him Cookie Monster back then, which inspired my costume.

• Paw Patrol

• PJ Masks – M wanted to be PJ Robot which was definitely a challenge!

• Frozen
• These Minnie Mouse ears for baby are super easy to DIY for a tiny baby Minnie!

• Superheros – each family member can choose one for a family theme.
• Berenstain Bears
• Willie Wonka- DIY or buy
• Where’s Waldo
• Lego movie

Space Theme

We did a space theme last year, and each family member had fun choosing their costume!

• Planets (you can simply decorate t-shirts to look like the landscape of planets.)
• Rocket
• Alien
• Stars – A’s costume was homemade. I started with a dress that I had that had a tutu bottom with stars (or get a standalone tutu) and made her a headband using faux leather and glitter HTV.

• Moon – I made this using a headband, some wire, and the moon phases cut from foil board. It was a bit hack-y, though, and not so smooth to wear.
• Sun – My husband was the sun, with a yellow cap and glued-on sun rays from cardstock.
• Astronaut – or get the pajama version. This was Y’s costume – purchased.
• Nasa Scientist – we accomplished this with a lab coat, goggles, and a badge I made using clear acetate and Photoshop. Y wanted one too, so I made one as well. You can also buy a badge holder if you don’t have the supplies to make it handy, and get a printable for the badge.

Games or Toys

People tend to skip over objects when sifting through ideas for Purim costumes. This can be somewhat harder to find pre-made but you’d be surprised at how much exists!d

This year, we were toys! Once again, HalloweenCostumes.com has sent us costumes free of charge to add to this list. My boys desperately wanted to be Transformers – because how insanely cool are these actual transforming costumes?

M is Bumblebee and Y is Optimus Prime. FYI the costume comes with a simple jumpsuit, so that they can get comfortable mid-day and travel in full-costume, without the transforming accessories. But for party time, they can go with the whole getup and have fun surprising everyone!

Purim is a time for the KIDS and so I like to let them choose their own costume ideas for Purim. However, princess A did not want to join that theme. We pivoted and decided to go broad.

I found this adorable Squishmallows costume for her and created a toy theme around my kids’ diverse interests! Look at that glowing face – she loves her costume! Plus, she IS a Squishmallow IRL so it’s appropriate.

This is a costume that she wears at every opportunity and will fit her for many years.

For Baby Jay, we went with a teddy bear costume because he IS actually a teddy bear. It’s so cozy. It runs slim, so size up if you can.

My husband and I decided to pare things back and turn regular clothing into Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head costumes using the sticker kits. The stickers comes with easy-to-wear hats as well. You can get full costumes if the stickers are out of stock.

I’m excited for this year’s theme, and every single one of my kids (besides for he-who-has-yet-to-form-opinions-on-such-things) is super excited, and plan to wear their costumes every single day…

More ideas from this theme:

• Rubiks Cube
• Monopoly pieces
• Lego
• Barbie doll
• Cabbage Patch, Raggedy Ann or any other baby doll
• Crayons – or assorted art supplies. You can also combine this with the artist idea above. Parents can dress up as artists and kids as various art supplies: crayons, markers, pencils, etc.

Animals

• Kosher animals
• Farm animals
• Fish types or sea animals

• Zoo animals
• Safari animals

Food

We eat so much on Purim, maybe this really is a Jewish theme!

• Fast food – hot dogs, fries, pizza, tacos….
• Snacks: popcorn, chocolate bars, etc. You can even dress up as a collective mishloach manot package!
• Jewish food: challah, gefilte fish, matzah ball soup, kibbeh…
• Israeli food: Israeli salad, hummus, falafel…
• The things your kids really eat: pizza, pasta, cereal and milk. Also cupcakes.

Everything else

• Last year I wanted to dress up as puns. I didn’t do it because I couldn’t think of anything other than Baby Ruth (dressing my baby up as Ruth Bader Ginsberg). But if you can think of some it’s a cool idea that’ll keep people guessing.

• The world through rose colored glasses. Dress up like common items but in pink. For example, a pink person/animal, pink food – choose anything from this list and make it pink!
• Making lemonade out of lemon: you can either do lemonade ingredients (lemons, sugar, water, and lemonade) or make it lemon, lemonade stand, pink lemonade, lemon candy – or just go for the lemonade theme and own it!
• Punny T-shirts. My husband and I did this in 2020 with shirts that said “superhero in disguise“. I also designed “this is my Purim costume” shirts and other stuff to complete the theme (you can make your own with this SVG).

You can also read through my list of Easy costumes with Normal Clothes for more costume ideas for Purim!

I hope you found the ideas you need! Got more costume ideas for Purim to add to the list? Comment below!

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