How to Make a Hard Candy Garland for the Christmas Tree

Christmas tree garlands come in many different styles. Some like shiny tinsel, while others go for natural popcorn and cranberries. If you want a unique Christmas garland this year that can be enjoyed after Christmas, try a peppermint candy garland. The instructions below show how to make one easily, and also describes variations that can match your holiday decor.

Christmas Candy Garland - Materials Needed

The first thing you need to do to make the Christmas candy garland is determine how many candies you will need. Wrapping a string around the Christmas tree and then dividing its length by the length of one piece of candy will help you do this. Choose hard candies that have plastic wrappers with a twist sticking out on each end.

To make the garland, you will also need one of three things: a stapler, quick-drying, clear-drying craft glue, or a long length of curling ribbon.

Christmas Candy Garland - Making the Basic Garland

A basic Christmas candy garland can be made by stapling the plastic wrapper ends of many pieces of candy together. Starlight peppermints in red or green are great for this. You can also use colorful fruit candy or any other type of candy with the right type of wrapper. Instead of staples, you can use glue if you want to hold the pieces together while they dry.

A more complicated but more decorative type of candy garland can be made by tying the wrapped ends together with a piece of red, green, or white Christmas curling ribbon. Use the edge of a scissor to curl the ribbon pieces or tie them each in a bow.

Christmas Candy Garland - Variations and Themes

While you can make a simple Christmas candy garland with red and white peppermints, there are other variations that might match your holiday decorating scheme. Alternating red and green mint candies works, as would using red, yellow, and green fruit candies. If you are having a country style Christmas, using old-fashioned wrapped hard candies would work better. For a sophisticated tree garland, use foil wrapped chocolate truffles.

Making a hard candy garland for your Christmas tree is a great craft to do with the family. Not only will it give you a festive decoration, but you will have plenty of treats to eat when the holiday is over. Be careful about putting candies too close to hot Christmas tree lights, and do not use if you have an insect problem. Otherwise, enjoy the hard candy garland on your tree.