I have warm memories of visiting my Aunt Dorothy at Christmastime. In one corner of her living room on an end table was a hawthorn branch she had put in a flowerpot and carefully stuck gumdrops on the thorns.
When I would visit, I always made a beeline for the tree so I could eat all of the black gumdrops first, then continuing on to the other flavors. It was what really made my Christmas at Aunt Dorothy's.
I thought Aunt Dorothy put a thorny gumdrop tree up year after year because my cousins and I loved it so much.
After I was grown, my aunt let me in on a little secret: She wanted a no-fuss tree. She didn't want to spend time decorating a tree, just to take it all back down in a few weeks. She also lived in a small house and didn't really have enough space for a traditional tree.
To her, a gumdrop tree was an easy way to decorate for the holidays. But for us kids, it was a Christmas tradition that we couldn't do without.
How to Learn to Make Money Online Bloggingon 11/08/2015
Funky Retro Fun with the Polaroid Socialmatic Instagram Camera and Accessorieson 01/01/2015
Haunted Florida: The Legend of the I-4 Dead Zoneon 12/07/2014
Easy to Make Paw Print Christmas Ornament Kiton 11/25/2014
Comments
Like you, I lost the Christmas spirit for several years, but I am determined to reclaim it this year. What a nice little idea the gumdrop tree is, and so easy to implement!
Thank you! It's a really unique idea
I'm leaning more and more towards it. I just don't get into the Christmas mood like I used to.
I have a 6-inch plastic tree with a bell on top which was my first tree, used as a desk decoration at work, before I even had my own place. One year I worked the festive season in a mental patient daycare unit. The poor tree got more stick than I did! One of the regulars bent it into 90* and kept hitting the tip to make the bell jangle constantly. The tree survived, although it's still slightly crooked. That's more than I can say I did in that role... Gumdrop trees are a lovely idea if you have guests or children visiting and are something I can imagine my m-i-l taking on if she spent Christmas here for any reason. (She usually decamps to her brother's timeshare in southern Spain as she prefers the climate). I've also seen gem trees performing a similar role as a small Christmas tree for people who want to be festive without the trimmings. Our 6' white artificial tinsel Christmas tree is going up this weekend, because I cleared space for it this morning and my husband is under notice to bring the boxes down from the loft at the weekend.
You're welcome! I think they're pretty cool:)
Gumdrop tree look beautiful, thanks for telling us how to make one. It will be really fun!
I'm glad you like it!
This is a great idea! And I love gumdrops!:)
The candy is definitely a bonus!
What a lovely idea! I still have room (and energy) to put up a real tree, but I'd definitely want one of these if my situation was different. I do remember a colleague who always put a little tree on her desk at work - it was so nice. And if it had candies it would have been even sweeter!