WHAT I LOVE ABOUT CHRISTMAS

Flaps, pull-tabs, and wheels add interactive elements to this celebration of Christmastime.

The (entirely secular) activities themselves are standard-issue—ranging from cutting and decorating a tree to “building snowmen,” decorating cookies, wrapping gifts, singing carols, and standing in line to sit on Santa’s lap. What sets this apart from the crowd of pre-Christmas panegyrics is an unusual focus on process: the art on the front of a handmade card, for instance, shows the steps in drawing the simple reindeer within; turning a wheel displays through a shaped cutout a cookie going from plain to decorated, and on the verso a tree going through the same stages. The cozy cartoon illustrations feature a family of brown bears in human dress headed by a mother and father, but more-diverse groups of wildlife and livestock put in appearances for caroling and standing in line. “With all the things to see and do,” Cocca-Leffler concludes in a pop-up Christmas morning scene, “what I love BEST about Christmas… / …is time with YOU!”

A warm if not very ecumenical dose of holiday cheer, with some unobtrusive guidance for young makers and helpers.