Hello, getting the lantern attached to the hand takes a little finesse. I start by carefully making a hole from one side of the hand to the other. A long awl or thin piece of metal rod will work. You need to push and twist it through the foam so it drills its way through without tearing it. Getting the lantern's handle through the hand requires removing it from the lantern and straightening one of the ends of the handle. Once that is done, you need to straighten about half of the handle itself and then you can carefully push it through the hole in the hand. Once again take care not to tear the foam. Once it is through you can re-bend it to the desired shape and reattach the lantern. I recommend removing the lantern for storage in the off season to protect the foam.