When you’re a picky eater, holiday pitch-ins are a nightmare. You never know if you’ll like what is served and bringing your own festive food seems impossible. These candy themed veggie trays let you create a festive appetizer that is 100% plain for even the pickiest eater.

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[bctt tweet=”When you’re a picky eater, holiday pitch-ins are a nightmare. These candy themed veggie trays are a festive appetizer for even the pickiest eater.” username=”diyadulation”]

Welcome to Day 5 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

We have teamed up with 50 plus bloggers to bring you a oodles of DIY Ideas and Recipes to make your holiday season merrier. There are 12 different posts in the series and we have spread them out over a four week period with three posts per week. Now is the time to subscribe!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 5 and we are sharing Holiday Party Food Ideas!

Admittedly, as much as this is a treat for me because I absolutely love fresh vegetables, it was also a test to see if the kiddos would be more apt to eat the veggies. When you make things look like candy, kids love it, right?

Well, my youngest (4) ate some of the tomatoes and the middle (5, almost 6) totally ate a bunch of the bell peppers! Say what? I never thought I’d see the day that happened.

If you have picky kiddos (or simply want to add a little pizazz to your holiday veggie trays) these fun candy themed veggie trays are for you!

Candy Themed Veggie Trays Ingredients

2 Yellow Bell Peppers
2 Orange Bell Peppers
1 Large Container of Button Mushrooms
2 Packages of Grape Tomatoes
2 Heads of Cauliflower

Bell Pepper and Cauliflower Veggie Trays

Step 1

First, slice all of your bell peppers.

Step 2

Next, pull apart both heads of cauliflower.

Step 3

After your vegetables are cut up, start arranging one color of bell peppers on a plain white dinner plate like a spiral. Do not use all of the bell peppers yet. You are only creating an outline.

Step 4

Then fill in the white spaces between the bell peppers with 1 head of cauliflower. Because the cauliflower pieces are much bigger and sturdier, use these to create walls around the bell peppers.

Step 5

Next, fill in the bell pepper areas with your remaining bell peppers of one color.

Step 6

Repeat steps 3-5 with your second head of cauliflower and second color of bell peppers.

Tomato and Mushroom Veggie Tray

Step 1

First, cut your mushrooms into halves.

Step 2

Next, create your candy outline with mushrooms. Try to build your “walls” up as high as possible to help hold your tomatoes in place.

Step 3

Lastly, fill in the white spaces on your plate with your cherry tomatoes.

These candy themed veggie trays let you keep the candy theme going without an overabundance of unhealthy treats! Feel free to make these with any vegetables you like. I do recommend finding at least 1 white vegetable (such as the mushrooms or the cauliflower) to place between your colors. It adds to the look and creates consistency between the multiple veggie trays.

Now it’s time to check out the other delicious party food ideas my friends are sharing! Find more new favorites below!

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Scroll down for many more Holiday Party Food Ideas for your holiday season!

The holidays mean a lot of breaks for school-age kids and that can leave moms pulling their out during such a busy time of year. Add a handmade touch to your candy Christmas tree and enjoy school breaks with your kids with these easy kids cotton candy ornaments.

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission. Read the full disclosure here.

[bctt tweet=”Get your home ready for the holidays and enjoy some creative time with the kids this season with these easy kids cotton candy ornaments!” username=”diyadulation”]

Welcome to Day 4 of the Fourth Annual 12 Days of Christmas Series!

GO HERE for the complete list of Dates and Topics plus a collection of most popular holiday ideas including ornaments, games, recipes and more from all 50 plus talented bloggers!

It’s Day 4 and we are sharing Kids Christmas Craft Ideas!

Raise your hand if you love cotton candy!! Now you can add one of your favorite sweet treats to your candy Christmas tree decorations.

Even better, this ornament is so easy to make that your kiddos can totally get in on the crafty fun. Pull it out on one of the many school breaks this season and entertain the little ones while still getting your home holiday ready.

Materials

Cotton Balls
Red and Blue Food Coloring
Water
Paper Towels
Cardstock of Choice
Scissors
Glue
Ribbon

Mom Tip: I recommend you prepare the the cotton balls before doing this craft with the kids. They can totally help prepare the cotton balls but it is a lot of waiting.

Step 1

First, add a small amount of water to a plastic container.

Step 2

Next, add 3 drops of red food coloring and 2 drops of blue food coloring then mix.

Step 3

Add some cotton balls to your water and make sure they are submerged.

Step 4

Leave your cotton balls in the colored water overnight.

Step 5

After your cotton balls have soaked overnight pull them out and place them on some paper towels to dry. This can take a few days to complete.

Step 6

Once your cotton balls have dried, pull them apart so that they are a fluffy ball.

Step 7

Next, roll your cardstock into a cone and secure it with glue. Hot glue works quickest for this but you can use regular liquid white glue. If using liquid glue, allow it to dry before moving on.

Step 8

Then trim any excess paper so that your cone is even.

Step 9

Now cut a length of ribbon that is long enough to become a hanger for your ornament.

Step 10

Next, glue one end of the ribbon to the top of the open part of your paper cone.

Step 11

Continue attaching your ribbon by gluing the remaining end on the opposite side of your open paper cone.

Step 12

Lastly, glue your pulled cotton ball onto the open part of the cone. Be sure that your ribbon hanger goes around the cotton ball so that you can still hang it.

Step 13

Allow the glue to dry completely, then hang on your tree and enjoy!

Now you can make your own awesome ornaments for your tree and it won’t cost you a fortune. These kids cotton candy ornaments will also brighten your kids spirits every time they see their creations on your tree this year. After you have your cotton balls dying, check out the other amazing kids Christmas crafts from all of my friends below!

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Are you looking for a new tradition that helps your family practice gratitude during the holidays? Families get caught up in the chaos of the holiday season and lose sight of what the season is all about. Focus on what you’re thankful for this Christmas eve with the Angels in the Snow Christmas candle tradition.

Affiliate links may be used in this post. Ordering a product through these links may result in a commission. Read the full disclosure here.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – time for the annual 25 Days Of Christmas Movies Blog Hop! #ChristmasMoviesHop

We have 25 talented bloggers gathered together to share with you all the wonderful crafts and recipes you can make this Christmas season, based off of some of the most beloved holiday films. There are 25 films to be inspired by for your holiday season, and 25 talented bloggers to aid your inspiration! If you love Christmas movies, you have come to the right place!!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – time for the annual 25 Days Of Christmas Movies Blog Hop! #ChristmasMoviesHop

Let’s Meet The Hosts!

Megan ~ C’mon Get Crafty | Marie ~ The Inspiration Vault | Carmen ~ Gross to Grandiose

Christine ~ My Kitchen My Craft | Crissy ~ It’s a Wonderful Life | Emily ~ Domestic Deadline

Stephanie ~ The Tip Toe Fairy | Rebecca ~ The Moments at Home | Marianne ~ Songbird

Ashley ~ Attempts at Domestication | Sue ~ A Purdy Little House | Roseann ~ This Autoimmune Life

Kim ~ Kimspireddiy | Jaime ~ Love Jaime | Terri ~ Christmas Tree Lane |Lyne ~ The Paper Addict

Nicole ~ For the the Love of Food | Marie ~ DIY Adulation | Paula ~ Paula Tisch

Lara~ Love on a Plate | Jaclyn ~ The Dotted Nest

Thankful Spirit

I noticed that my kiddos (4, 6, and 9) were getting super spoiled. They are so concerned about what they are getting for Christmas instead of excited about giving to others, spending time with family, and enjoying the simple things in life.

I wanted to shift the focus but wasn’t entirely sure how. Then I remembered the tradition from the movie Angels in the Snow where they pass a candle around and say what they are thankful for. In fact, the entire movie focuses on making the most of what you have and being grateful for it.

This Christmas candle tradition is exactly what you need to shift the focus of your family and embrace an attitude of thankfulness, appreciation, and joy.

[bctt tweet=”This Christmas candle tradition is exactly what you need to shift the focus of your family and embrace an attitude of thankfulness, appreciation, and joy.” username=”diyadulation”]

Angels in the Snow

Materials

Cream LED Pillar Candle
Candy Cane Ribbon
Christmas Pine Floral Pick
Hot Glue Gun and Glue
Scissors

Step 1

First, remove the label from your pillar candle.

Step 2

Next, glue the end of your ribbon to the center of your pillar candle. Make sure that it is going horizontally, not vertically.

Step 3

Then wrap your ribbon around the center of your candle until it slightly overlaps the glued end of ribbon and cut it from the rest of the spool. Add a dab of glue and secure it in place.

Step 4

Next, cut a sprig of pine from your floral pick and glue it over the seam of your attached ribbon on the candle.

Step 5

Cut the gold baubles sprig off of your floral pick and glue it over your pine sprig as well.

Step 6

Then cut another small length of ribbon from your spool.

Step 7

Fold up one end of the ribbon and glue it to the center. See the picture above for reference.

Step 8

Repeat step 7 with opposite side of the ribbon length.

Step 9

Cut another length of ribbon and place your glued piece on it, right sides facing as you see in the picture above.

Step 10

Next, tie the ribbon around your glued piece of ribbon with a knot.

Step 11

Then trim the ribbon ends to look as they do above. Try to turn the ribbon ends so that they are both facing forward.

Step 12

Glue the ribbon bow onto the candle over the pine sprig.

Christmas Candle Tradition

Once you have made your Christmas Candle, keep it on the mantle until Christmas Eve. That evening, take turns passing around the candle and saying what you are thankful for. We get so caught up on the gift giving and receiving (and the wrapping and preparing) that we forget how lucky we are. This tradition is the perfect way to practice thankfulness and remember how blessed we are.

How excited are you for this Angels in the Snow Christmas candle tradition? It might take some practice but this new Christmas Eve tradition will shift your little ones focus to all that they have to be grateful for. Store it with your holiday decorations so that it is at your fingertips every year. Display it throughout the entire season as a beautiful and festive reminder of what this time of year is truly about.

Now it’s time to check out all of the other awesome Christmas movie projects for this year’s 25 Days of Christmas blog hop! Find awesome ideas from all of your favorite holiday movies below!

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