Christmas Garlands You Can Make With Food

Description: Easy, creative Christmas garlands made from candy, macaroni, gumballs, popcorn, apples, and more!

Are you looking for some fun and interesting materials for making Christmas garlands while at home with the kids? If so, the materials for making festive strands for your tree, your doorways, or your outdoor shrubs may be as close as the kitchen pantry.

Hard Candy

Glue wrapped pieces of hard candy to a length of ribbon. Turn the side of the candy that opens toward the ribbon and use a drop of hot glue to secure the wrapper to the ribbon. If you are careful not to glue the wrapper closed, you can eat the candy later!

Macaroni

Uncooked pasta shapes with holes in the center lend themselves very naturally to stringing as a garland on a piece of yarn. This is an easy-to-make garland that is fun for kids. If you would like to dress up your macaroni garland a bit, use spray paint or craft paint to change the appearance of the noodles. Another variation is to use two pieces of monofilament, stringing them both through a bead or single piece of penne pasta, and then splitting the monofilament strands, with one going into one macaroni noodle and one going into the other macaroni noodle, curved-side-in, to create an “O” shape, then sending both strands through another piece of penne pasta. Continue that pattern for the length of the garland for additional visual interest.

Gumballs

For a candy-themed Christmas, decorating with hard candy is not the only way to go. Using an embroidery needle and thread, you can turn a few bags of gumballs into a sweet-smelling, brightly colored garland. Although this would also be possible with other soft candies, such as gumdrops, gumballs are less sticky to work with. Use shorter length of thread and tie them all together instead of trying to make the entire garland with one length of thread. There are two benefits to this: One, shorter length of thread are less likely to snag in the creation process than longer lengths are; and two, should the garland happen to break, only one section of your gumball garland will go rolling across the floor, instead of the entire length of it.

Dried Apples and Oranges

For a homespun feel and a fragrance that will fill the home, slice apples and oranges to about one-fourth inch thickness. Lay the slices flat on a cookie sheet and dry them in your oven at the lowest heat setting, which should be about 150 degrees. Turn them over regularly and do not remove until all the juice has drained out. Remove the apple and orange slices from the oven and let them air dry. Connect the slices with twine and enjoy the fragrance!

Popcorn and Cranberries

Looking for a traditional feel this Christmas? Gather the kids and the needle and thread, and string together popped popcorn and whole cranberries. Younger children can lay the goodies out in a pattern, while older children and adults can string them together. Be sure to make extra popcorn, as the supplies for this garland magically disappear. A popcorn and cranberries garland, with its traditional Christmas red and white, makes a great decoration for outdoor trees and shrubs. It will be as delicious to the birds and squirrels as it is beautiful.
Cereal

Creating a garland out of round cereal or cereal wheels is a fun and easy way to get younger children involved in holiday decorating. Using yarn, ribbon, monofilament, or plastic string (popular in children’s jewelry-making kits), string together O-shaped oat cereal, fruit-flavored cereal, or puffed wheels. A cereal garland is one more holiday garland that can be used on trees indoors and out.

Adding homemade Christmas garlands to your holiday decorations is a fantastic way to involve family and friends in the Christmas celebration.

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