By now, most of you may have made your way to the local tree farm – or tree market, for those of you living in urban areas – to snag the perfect Christmas tree. But now that you have it in the house, what to put on it?! Well, why not get creative and deck out your conifer with edible embellishments? Gathered here, a few fast and easy ideas to help get you started. Note: Just be sure not to eat your décor before the holiday!
For the garland
Fruits like cranberries have been used as beautiful (and fragrant!) decorations for centuries. So, go old school and string up your own! Wanna mix it up? Try using other colorful, small fruits like kumquats! But, be sure to avoid highly perishable fruits like strawberries or grapes – otherwise you might have a messy, smelly (in a moldy way) tree on your hands.
Another great garland idea is to take your fave cereal and string it up. Obviously, “loops” and “O” shaped varieties works best, but hey, don’t stop there: We at Food Republic definitely encourage you to think outside the (cereal) box!
For the ornaments
Dried fruits also work great for your tree, so try slicing up colorful crops like oranges, lemons, limes or apples with a super sharp knife, toss them on a baking sheet, then make a small hole to add string later. Bake in a low-temperature oven (200-225 degrees) to dry for 1-3 hours. Lastly, grab ribbon in a vibrant shade, loop through the hole and voila!
Some candies seem to have been made for ornamental use! Candy canes are obviously the classic Christmas treat, but there are others that can work just as well! Take a trip to your local candy store and see what other items make sense – like mini chocolate-covered pretzels or Swedish fish – pretty much anything with a hole works (or is pliable enough for you to make one)!
