SHOP TALK : Lighting the Way to a Festive Hanukkah : Temple gift shops and some stationery stores offer a good selection of well-priced menorahs and the necessary candles.

You’d think if you wanted to buy a candleholder and some candles for it to hold, you’d stop by a candle shop.

But when the candleholder in question is the multibranched Hanukkah menorah, and the candles are boxes of the festive, multicolored Hanukkah variety, well, that’s a different story.

With the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, beginning Sunday, we thought we’d hunt down menorahs and candles--important items for the observant. A candle is lit for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah (i.e., one candle the first night, two the second, and so on). These nightly candles are lit by a shamus, or chief candle.

All told, by the end of the holiday, 44 candles will have been used (barring any misfires). Generally the candles are sold in boxes of 44, but we found a few boxes of 45 for those who desire a spare.

Because finding the candles is relatively easy, let’s start with the menorahs instead.

They range from the simple to the extravagant, from the straight-forward to the cute, from the inexpensive to the “What’s the credit line on my MasterCard?”

If you’re in the market for a menorah, we offer this advice: Call up a stationery store such as a Hallmark outlet, and see if they have any in stock. Or call a temple gift shop. A temple is more of a sure bet, but gift shop hours are limited and appointments may even be necessary.

When we went shopping for menorahs, we headed straight for The Oaks mall in Thousand Oaks. We went against our own advice, and stopped by a department store first. Last year Bullock’s had some cute menorahs, but as of last week they had none. “We should,” said a sales lady, “but we don’t.”

Our next stop was Robbie’s Hallmark, on the second floor of The Oaks. We found a brass “Mini Menorah” with tiny holes for the candles for $14.99. Included in the price was a box of blue-and-white striped mini candles, like you’d put on a birthday cake. The same menorah and candles were also available, for the same price, at Cardamerica, a stationery store on the first floor of The Oaks.

As for the larger menorahs, Robbie’s had them priced from $12.99 to $26.99, and Cardamerica had them from $20 to $65. Cardamerica’s selection included a $35 menorah in the design of a train with animals on it, and a $60 menorah in the shape of a three-car trolley. The rest of the store’s stock included some attractive, elegant silver menorahs.

Then we visited Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks. Initially we called the gift shop to see if it had menorahs and were told they ranged in price from $15 to $200. We checked it out and found a remarkable, reasonably priced selection.

One ceramic menorah used the shapes of different Israeli structures for the nine candle holders. Price: $75. The shop also had a menorah depicting the three bears (of Goldilocks fame) sitting at a table ($50); a cable car ($34), and a train ($40). The more expensive menorahs, some of combination candle holders/music boxes, were beautiful.

As for the candles, forget candle shops. Those that carry Hanukkah candles seem to be rare. Rather, we suggest grocery stores, party stores, stationery stores and temple gift shops.

Most of these places will have a standard box of 44 Hanukkah candles. The candles are usually advertised as dripless. From past experience we’ve noticed they are, indeed, dripless, until you light them and they start melting.

The standard box of 44 candles was going for $1.47 at Bonnie’s party supply store in Ventura. A different brand of standard 44s was going for 89 cents at Hughes Market in Camarillo. And at the new Las Posas Emporium--a combination Hallmark store, video rental shop, post office and office supply place in Camarillo’s Las Posas Plaza--a box of 44 glossy candles was priced at $2.

Of course, anywhere you find menorahs you can find the candles. At Robbie’s a standard box was $1.25, and the box of mini-candles was 95 cents. At Cardamerica, both sizes were $1.35 a pack. Cardamerica also had a box of extra-tall, one-hour candles for $6.

At Temple Adat Elohim, the candle selection matched the menorah selection. Boxes ranged from 90 cents for the standard variety to $12 for a pack of fancy hourlong candles. Basic hourlongs went for $4.50 a box.

It’s not a simple task finding Hanukkah accessories, but they are out there. Now all you need are some matches.