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Edible Christmas Trees

© Barbara M. Martin

Please note: Thank you for visiting my Cottage Garden topic and reading my columns, published here from February 1997 through spring 2003! This Cottage Garden column was written by Barbara M. Martin and is Copyrighted, including any photos, by Barbara M. Martin. It may not be altered or copied or published elsewhere in whole or in part without specific permission from the author. I regret I am no longer actively editing or contributing to this suite101.com topic as of mid-2003. Happy Gardening!

The Edible Christmas Tree: An Alternative Tradition

Many people decorate their home for the Christmas holiday and, very often, the traditional seasonal theme includes a Christmas tree. (For the seasonally challenged among us, the nice people at Lowe's have come up with a great batch of instructions on how to create the ultimate in beautiful decorator trees step by step at home, from how to double wrap the lights to themes you might enjoy.)

But this is so much trouble.

You have to find the tree, the decorations, the time. You know the drill! The furniture has to be rearranged to make room for it; the family pets have to be shooed away from it; the small children have to be protected from its many potential dangers of broken glass ornaments, electrocution, strangulation and choking hazards. The lights are a fire just waiting to happen and a real tree might drip resin and drop needles and the watering procedure ruins the carpet.

Next thing you know, the tree has to be taken down after Christmas and then either disassembled and put away in a box wherein it refuses to fit, or run through the chipper shredder to make it into mulch, or perhaps moved outdoors to bring pleasure to the wildlife there... but in every case it is messy and a lot of work.

So this year, I suggest you stick with an edible tree instead. No muss, no fuss, and the Christmas mice eat the crumbs. Here's how:

Easy Christmas Tree Cake (easy is a relative term here)

Truly Easy Brownie Trees (CHOCOLATE!)

Allegedly Edible Christmas Tree with shrimp and styrofoam (ahem)

Vegetable Christmas Tree (to make up for all those sweets, use a "lite" dip!)

It sounds better called Santa's Vegetable Platter Christmas Tree, doesn't it!

Cranberry Tree Centerpiece (maybe inedible but a cool idea if you can be trusted with pointy objects)

Fun Edible Christmas Tree (Perfect for very small children, requires zero cooking and no skill and NO WAITING whatsoever!)

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