Serious Eats
A Tree, with All the (Edible) Trimmings
A Candy Cane-Trimmed Tree. Photo by PugnoM.
I saw The Nutcracker last night, and seeing tutu-clad sugarplums, shimmying Arabian coffee, and pirouetting marzipan reminded that somehow everything at Christmas is so delectable—so edible. When I wish for a white Christmas, I hope for a snow shower of sugar to cover my table, more than a blanket of frozen water to shroud my house.
So, in the spirit of making this year an edible Christmas and of living in my own candyland, I want every ornament on my tree to be fit for consumption. I am going to hang gingerbread men (not fatally), with their wry, white smiles and buttoned-up demeanors. A few branches to the left I'll place a barbershop red-and-white candy cane crook. Ruddy and spicy cinnamon sticks will imbue Christmas spirit. Traditional citrus clementines or kumquats will droop the boughs. And of course, a popcorn garland burst from those old-fashioned Technicolor kernels will adorn from tip to stalk, set off by a garland of cranberries. A tree trimming party would leave me with very few ornaments indeed, but I plan on having everyone over for a tree-consuming party.
True, all that food lying around might attract those vicious mice from The Nutcracker. But as in the ballet, I expect the Battle Under the Tree to be easily won: The gingerbread men could herd the mice together with their candy cane crooks, bludgeon them with their cinnamon stick batons, and bind them with the popcorn garland. So much for peace and good will.
What edibles do you use to trim you tree?