Queue up Tchaikovsky on iTunes, decorate the tree, and while you’re caught up in the spirit of decorating, pull out the crayons and scissors for some holiday playtime.

From puppeteer Noel MacNeal, author of 10-Minute Puppets, here’s a brand new 10-Minute Puppet just in time for Christmas! Maybe you can help these two archenemies from The Nutcracker become  friends in time for Christmas (how’s that for a plot twist?). And while you have the crayons out, prepare for Act II by making a whole fleet of Sugar Plum Fairies (download the Teeny Ballerina template, here)!

Materials:

-The Nutcracker & The Mouse King template

-Colored pencils, crayons, or markers

-Scissors

-2 empty toilet paper tubes

-Clear tape

Make It:

1. Download and print The Nutcracker & Mouse King template. Color in the two designs.

2. Cut out the two designs from the page.

3. Carefully cut around the dotted lines of the Mouse King’s ears and gently curl or fold them forward.

4. Attach strips of tape along the white edge of each of the templates, then lay the templates facedown (so the tape is sticky side up). Press an empty toilet paper tube into the tape on each template and wrap the template around the tube.

5. Secure the open ends with tape. Then insert the tubes onto your fingers, and it’s on to the Kingdom of Sweets!

—

The Nutcracker & Mouse King are a brand-new puppets by professional puppeteer Noel MacNeal, based on his book 10-Minute Puppets.

Cooking Jewish isn’t just about the holidays–it’s about the rich tradition of flavors generations old and the new twists we put on them. Judy Kancigor’s trip through old handwritten family recipes, and the “improvements” she’s made on them, mixes the nostalgia of your grandmother’s cooking with the ease of clear-cut instructions. Cook right out of the book or use Judy’s tips to perfect your own recipes–at the very least try adding her toffee walnuts to your kugel! Packed with recipes for any occasion, Cooking Jewish is a cookbook you’ll pull out over and over again for old favorites and new inspiration.