Place the colander in the sink. Open the can of chickpeas and pour it into the colander. Rinse with water and drain thoroughly.

Place the lemon on the counter and use the palm of your hand to put pressure on and roll it back and forth several times to make it easier to juice. Cut the lemon in half horizontally. Squeeze the juice into a small bowl with a citrus juicer or your hand. Remove seeds with a spoon.

Crush the garlic on the counter with the bottom of a measuring cup. Remove the peel and discard. Press the garlic with a garlic press (or finely chop it with a knife.)

Place the chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, salt, cumin, and water in the food processor or blender.

Process for about 1 minute. Stop and scrape the sides. Continue to process until smooth, another 1 to 2 minutes.

If the hummus is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water and process again.

Scrape the hummus into the cereal bowl. Set aside.

For the manger: Slice a small mini sweet pepper in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds. Slice a small piece of sugar snap pea to fit inside one of the pepper halves to represent baby Jesus. Tear off a small piece of baby spinach to wrap around it for blanket.

For the cross: Peel a carrot. Cut the widest part diagonally into a ¼-inch thick slab. Cut it into a cross shape. (See the video.)

For the empty tomb: Slice the stem end from a mini sweet pepper. Scrape the seeds out. Slice a thin cucumber round to depict the stone that was rolled away.

To assemble: Turn the dinner plate upside down to create a raised surface. Place 3 spoonfuls of hummus (about 2 tablespoons each) on the plate, spacing them evenly apart. Place the manger on the left mound, the cross upright in the center mound, and the empty tomb on the right mound with the cucumber slice partially covering the opening.

Cut the remaining vegetables into smaller pieces for dipping. Arrange on a plate.

Place the diorama on the table as a centerpiece. Serve with hummus and fresh vegetables for dipping.