Home Is Where the Hat Is
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
A little short of green this Sukkot? Do rising sukkah construction costs have you down?
Maybe you don’t have the space for a sukkah. Or due to a total lack of engineering skills, your shaky chateau is just not happening.
In this Season of our Joy, don’t be left out. Instead, use your head.
You can build a temporary temple for your temples: Make yourself a sukkah hat.
In a few easy steps and for a couple of bucks, you can green up and get street ready for Judaism’s annual fall festival.
Right after Yom Kippur, many folks begin to construct their sukkahs. They get out the hammer, wrench or power screwdriver. You can begin then, too. But the only tool you’ll need is a glue gun.
Start with the hat. Any old baseball cap will do. You will also need some Popsicle sticks, a couple of pipe cleaners and some fake foliage. A trip to your corner dollar store should cover it.
So heat up your glue gun — and get into a wearable sukkah.
First, glue the four corner posts — the Popsicle sticks — to the hat. (Relax, you don’t need a tiny mezuza). Then glue on crossbeams in the front and back (Do this part for the kids). Attach pipe cleaners to the posts, across the front and to the back. For the roof, twist a few cleaners across the top. Add some netting for walls, a few leaves, miniature hanging fruit and personal khazeray, or junk, and you’re ready to party.
Where to wear your sukkah hat? I originally designed the hat for friends to wear at home. But now it’s time to go public. Wear yours on the street, at synagogue, at school. And if you dare — wear it to work.
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