Merry Mandarins

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Well, look at these sweet little dudes!

Merry mandarins! Make an elf and a reindeer for a sweet Christmas snack that the kids will love.

A few simple supplies and some mandarins, and you've got yourself a crafty Christmas snack the kids will gobble up.

Merry mandarins! Make an elf and a reindeer for a sweet Christmas snack that the kids will love.

Every fall we work with Halos to create content featuring their juicy, perfectly-peelable mandarins. It's such a great fit for us because they're the ideal snack for little hands, and we have plenty of those around here.

I think this might be my favorite project we've made with them yet. It's at least neck and neck with our mandarin planter from last season.

Merry mandarins! Make an elf and a reindeer for a sweet Christmas snack that the kids will love.

All you need is a couple mandarins, some red and green felt, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, white or cream-colored card stock, a red craft pom pom and a white craft pom pom.

Merry mandarins! Make an elf and a reindeer for a sweet Christmas snack that the kids will love.

Rudolph came together really quick and easy with two eyes, a single pipe cleaner wrapped around the mandarin body and twisted into antlers, and a red Rudolph nose!

Merry mandarins! Make an elf and a reindeer for a sweet Christmas snack that the kids will love.

Don't tell Rudolph, but I really think the elf is where it's at. Isn't he adorable? He actually has more of a gnome look as opposed to an elf.

Come to think of it, I don't know the difference between a gnome and an elf. I suppose one lives at the North Pole and one lives under a bridge.

Or is that a troll thing?

Merry mandarins! Make an elf and a reindeer for a sweet Christmas snack that the kids will love.

Look at his ears! I can't get over the ears. Oh, and if you're wondering how the hat came together…I just cut out a long rectangle piece of felt and then folded it in on itself to glue the top of it together, end-to-end. I pointed the seam towards the back and plopped it on his head, and it formed a funky little triangle with whimsical pieces that stuck out just like I imagine an elf hat would.

Or a gnome hat, whatever.

The boys kept asking where his nose and mouth were, but I intentionally left those out. When you're dealing with mysterious creatures such as elves, I think it's best to leave a little to the imagination! Plus, I knew if I stuck too many pieces onto my mandarin, the boys would have a hard time peeling it all off to eat. Which is kind of the whole point.

Merry mandarins! Make an elf and a reindeer for a sweet Christmas snack that the kids will love.

Do you and your kids make seasonal treats this time of year?

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