Advent Adventures - Decorate a tree

 This one could have gone SO many ways.

Originally I was planning on bringing the boys to Target and letting them pick from the collection of 2' tinsel trees. They come in pink, blue, silver, and gold. They were also going to pick from the lights, mini ornaments, tree skirts, and toppers available for these mini trees. When they had decided what they wanted we were going to go home, decorate the trees, add our own original ornaments, and then put the trees in their rooms as decorations.

Obviously this little rendezvous could have gotten a little expensive and having a mini tree in my two year olds' room may have spelled disaster for his curious little hands. So I put that idea in my back pocket for when the boys get a little older.

I then decided that the kids could pick one of the evergreen trees in our yard and decorate the tree for the birds and animals. I envisioned popcorn and cranberries and bird seed ornaments (you know pine cones with peanut butter, birdseed mixed up into blocks and cut into shapes with cookie cutters, that type of thing).

This idea was nixed because stringing popcorn and cranberries requires a needle and patience which means that I will undoubtedly be doing most of the work. Also, I was afraid that there would be other animals, like deer, that would find their way into our yard and I didn't want to encourage these lovable creatures to eat our new trees.

My third idea was the winner for this year. Christmas trees made out of sugar cones, decorated similar to gingerbread houses. Genius, right? The kids could choose the candy they wanted to use and make their tree completely their own.

Of course, they chose the most expensive candy..oh well.

My 6 year old took these pictures. Please keep that in mind...

First, I put a ring of frosting on a plate to hold the cone in place.

Then I put the frosting around the cone as I rotated the plate.

And here is what it looked like when I was done. Looks like a tree, right? Easy!

Next it was up to the kids to add their touch. Of course, they had to taste test the product before adding it to their trees.

Here they are all finished. Unfortunately, I didn't prepare for the fact that my two year old would have a COMPLETE meltdown when I told him he would have to wait until after dinner to eat his tree. (Yes, I let them eat one tree...don't judge.)

Of course, Ben wasn't sure how to actually eat his tree, so he decided the no hands method was the best option.

Next year, I will do this one with gingerbread houses (made out of graham crackers to make it easier) so that the decorating will last a little longer. 

I would also LOVE to try one of the other decorate a tree ideas. Maybe one year will make the difference in what the boys can handle on this one. Have you had any food decorating adventures in your house yet this year?