In the holiday aisle of certain supermarkets, next to the chocolate Maccabees and Star of David cookies, you can find a "Hanukkah house cookie kit". A Jewish cousin to the classic Christmas gingerbread house, the DIY craft-meets-treat trend has sprung up in recent years, seeming more prominent now than ever before.

And, it turns out, they're made in Canada. Their maker is Give & Go Prepared Foods, a pastry-producing corporation based in Ontario, whose CEO is Joel Flatt, son of the Canadian philanthropist couple Ab and Phyllis Flatt.

This holiday season, their cookie-cutter houses are being sold in the United States under different names for different outlets, including for Manischewitz. Is it another example of Hanukkah's descent into cheap commodification? Or a delightful way to feed holiday spirits and bellies? Ellin discusses with Blair Klayman, Give & Go's vice president of marketing and innovation.

What we talked about:

Find Hanukkah houses at Publix in the U.S., and Manischewitz's version at manischewitz.com

Credits

The CJN Daily is written and hosted by Ellin Bessner (@ebessner on Twitter). Victoria Redden is the producer. Michael Fraiman is the executive producer. Our theme music is by Dov Beck-Levine. Our title sponsor is Metropia. We're a member of The CJN Podcast Network; find more great Jewish podcasts at thecjn.ca.

The Hanukkah House that Canadians built: Inside the new Jewish gingerbread house trend