mosheyosefblond

usually common minhagim amongst many Jews have a source or sources that are legit. Rav Simcha Londinski in his sukas chaim on Chanukah chalik bas pages 361-362, he quotes emes leYakov in siman 670 see footnote 583 where Rav Yakov Kamenisky says parents used to give there children money to give to the Rebbayim or teachers, this is where giving money to the children came from, and this isn’t chukas goim, if anything the goyim took the minhag of giving gifts from us like many other areas. ( it seams like the parents used to pay or give extra money to the Rebbayim used the children as shaluchim before the chagim time aka Chanukah). another reason based on the Magen avraham in siman 670 is since there is a minhag for aniyim to collect money on Chanukah therefore we give money or ‘gelt’ to everyone in order not to embarrass someone that doesn’t have money. Another source is see siphsay chaim on the moadim chalek bas page 134 when the Greeks forban the Jews to learn even after the decree ended there was unfortunately a lot of bital Torah. Therefore they had to bribe the children to learn by giving them money. In order to remember this we also give money to the children now a days. See also orchos rabanu chalek gimal pages 1-2 os gimal, The stipler would all ways give out money on the fifth night of Chanukah. The reason for this is b/c the fifth night of Chanukah never falls out on Shabbos. Another reason for giving money see the sefer Or haganuz in the section penine ha moadim page 127 is since even a poor person has to light the menorah therefore we want to make sure that everyone is given money in order not to embarrass someone that doesn’t have money similar to above answer. So we clearly see from all of the above that there are reasons and sources contrary to what it seams like from the above posts common opinion. And they are Jewish reasons and we did not ‘copy the goyim’ if any thing they copied us. Also we see that many gedolim including the stipler gave out money on Chanukah. Enjoy the gifts and kol tuv and have a good Chanukah.