| Although it is now more decades away than I care to | | | | the popularity of edible ornaments increased at |
| admit too often, there were four things I loved most | | | | Christmas, people started to use their imagination to |
| about my childhood Christmases in England: | | | | make their own, or the local baker would make more |
| 1. the excitement of the Christmas gifts being put under | | | | elaborate ornaments for sale. |
| the Christmas tree, and then the family opening of the | | | | Cookies, or at least cookie dough, make a good base |
| gifts on Christmas morning; | | | | for ornaments, as they are easy to cut into shape. |
| 2. the food; all the special sweets being put out | | | | You can use your imagination on adding the colour, |
| Christmas Eve; Christmas Lunch with the turkey, lots | | | | such as with Smarties or other colourful sweets. |
| of roast potatoes, brandy butter, and Christmas | | | | Adding a frosting effect is not too difficult either. |
| pudding being set alight at the table; | | | | If you do make dough based ornaments to hang on |
| 3. all the Christmas ornaments and decorations going | | | | the Christmas tree, remember you will need to make a |
| up before Christmas, and most especially putting up | | | | hole in the cookie before it cools; that's the way the |
| and decorating the Christmas tree; and, | | | | cookie doesn't crumble. Then when they do cool, you |
| 4. the games we would play. | | | | can thread a decorative ribbon to hang them on the |
| Food, though, did play a major part, and still does in | | | | Christmas tree. |
| English homes today. So, really, it is no surprise that | | | | The Christmas tea table is often adorned by the prime |
| food even became part of the Christmas ornament | | | | edible ornament, the Christmas cake. The prettier it is, |
| repertoire. Food, in one form or another, became part | | | | the better it is for decoration once lunch is out of the |
| of the decoration of Christmas time. | | | | way. Cake decoration is only limited by your |
| From my memory, edible Christmas ornaments were | | | | imagination. However, you can think of other things that |
| usually in the form of chocolate with a silver or gold | | | | are less common to adorn the table as an edible |
| coloured wrapping that sparkled on the tree. Chocolate | | | | ornament. If you are skilful, you can create simple |
| coins were popular, sometimes more than one in a | | | | models with ginger bread, moving up a level from the |
| brightly coloured string bag dangling temptingly from the | | | | old gingerbread man. |
| Christmas tree. | | | | You will find lots of ideas online and in the stores, but if |
| I must admit, any edible ornament on the tree became | | | | you can come up with something original, that is even |
| a prime target, as I anxiously awaited the all clear from | | | | better. Just let your imagination go and see what you |
| my parents to start devouring whatever I wanted. | | | | come up with. At least, if it does not look too good, |
| Later, though, a greater variety of edible Christmas | | | | you can just eat it before anyone comments! |
| ornaments emerged, such as candy canes; then, as | | | | |