A sukkah is a temporary hut with a roof of organic material (schach) that Jews build and eat, and often sleep, in for the seven days of Sukkot to commemorate the temporary shelters the Israelites lived in after the Exodus.

It's also called the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths for this reason. Decorating the sukkah — with murals, hanging ornaments, or Ushpizin displays — is a beloved family custom that turns the mitzvah into a shared project each year.

The Four Species — lulav (palm branch), esrog (etrog/citron), hadassim (myrtle), and aravos (willow) — are held together and waved in six directions each day of Sukkot (except Shabbos) as a way of acknowledging Hashem's presence everywhere. The esrog is held separately in the other hand from the bound lulav, hadassim, and aravos. A well-made lulav case and esrog box aren't just storage — they protect the esrog's delicate pitom from damage between uses.

A good esrog box should cushion the esrog securely (many use a fitted foam or velvet interior) to protect the pitom, while a lulav case just needs to be long and sturdy enough to keep the branches straight and fresh over the week of Sukkos.

Materials range from classic leather-look and lucite to more decorative painted and metal designs. Many families keep the same lulav case and esrog box as a multi-year heirloom, which makes materials and durability worth prioritizing over price alone.

The Ushpizin are the seven symbolic "guests" — Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, Moshe, Aharon, Yosef, and Dovid — traditionally invited into the sukkah, one honored each night of the holiday.

Many families display Ushpizin artwork or a dedicated Ushpizin sign inside the sukkah as a visual centerpiece and a way of teaching children the custom. It's one of the most popular categories of sukkah decorations because it adds meaning as well as decor.

Sukkot 5787 begins at sundown on Friday, September 25, 2026 and runs through nightfall on Friday, October 2, 2026, immediately followed by Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Since sukkah decorations, murals, and lulav/esrog accessories see heavy demand in the weeks before Yom Tov, it's best to order at least 2–3 weeks ahead — especially for personalized or made-to-order pieces.

Popular sukkah decorations range from large vinyl and lucite wall murals to hanging ornaments, string lights, and Ushpizin displays, with many families mixing a few statement pieces with smaller accents. Lucite décor tends to have a more polished, upscale look and holds up well year after year, while vinyl decorations are lightweight, easy to hang, and popular for covering large sukkah walls affordably. Complete Sukkos decoration sets are a fast way to pull a themed look together without buying each piece separately.

Lucite sukkah decorations are rigid, glossy, and durable, making them a good fit for a piece you'll reuse and display prominently every year. Vinyl decorations are more flexible and budget-friendly, ideal for covering large wall or ceiling areas or for families who like to switch up their sukkah's look each season. Neither is "correct" — it comes down to whether you want a long-term investment piece or an affordable way to fully deck out the sukkah.

Since every meal during Sukkot is eaten in the sukkah, many families set up dedicated Sukkos tableware — a weather-friendly tablecloth, chargers, napkin rings, and serveware that can handle an outdoor setting. Bencher sets for Birkas Hamazon are also commonly kept in the sukkah for the week. Because pieces are exposed to outdoor conditions, easy-to-wipe materials tend to hold up better than delicate finishes.

Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are technically separate holidays that follow immediately after the seven days of Sukkot, though they're often thought of together as one extended Yom Tov season. Shemini Atzeret is when the sukkah is generally no longer used (outside Eretz Yisrael it's a two-day celebration including Simchat Torah, when the annual Torah reading cycle concludes and restarts). Many people plan their Sukkos and Simchat Torah tableware and gifting together since the holidays run back-to-back.

A quality Ushpizin sign or sukkah mural makes a memorable gift for a first-time sukkah builder, since it's a piece they'll hang up year after year. A lulav case or esrog box is also a thoughtful, practical gift — especially for someone doing the mitzvah of the Four Species on their own for the first time. Corporate and bulk Sukkos gifting is popular too, since decoration sets photograph well and work as a shared team or client gift.