Food and Drink Christmas Tree {2012}

We have a handful of Christmas traditions, and our kitchen food-and-drink-themed Christmas tree is surely one of my favorites. We have added enough ornaments to it over the last few years, that last year I set off to find a new and bigger tree. All throughout the season, and even after, I looked and couldn’t find anything that would work. Too big. Too small. Too fat. Or too expensive. Just not right.

So this season, the hunt started again. In earnest. K-Mart. Target. The Christmas Tree Shop. Michael’s. I thought I had actually scored when Michael’s four foot $50 tree went on sale for half-price. Until I carted it home and Nick put it together (thank goodness for him!) and then I realized … it actually wasn’t that much bigger than what we already had. Maybe a foot? And so it went back.

I had all but given up…

Until on a visit to Wal-Mart last week, I spied one that would work. And that they were, of course, sold out of. Luckily they agreed to sell me the floor model (fyi, those stinkers at Target wouldn’t when I found a sold-out one there), so a 6 foot tall skinny tree now sits in our kitchen.

And again, Nick put it together. Obviously with only a few pieces, this is not a hard endeavor. My problem is that I spend so much time trying to track it down, and then lugging it home, my energy and motivation for such things is depleted. And as luck would have it, that’s exactly when his kicks in.

We’re a good team for sure.

So … new additions this year!

Beyond the tree, of course.

There have been some pretty awesome finds.

*my friend Beth found this one for me at Lord & Taylor – love it!

*this Oreo with one bite missing we found last week at a local garden center

*this one is from Target – and it’s huge! I wish they had a matching ketchup bottle – maybe that’s next year!

*this sweet little mini gingerbread man was also at the local garden center and a steal at $1.49

*also from Beth and Lord & Taylor – it’s a beaut!

*this one Nick found last weekend while out with friends

*the only ornament (food, drink, or otherwise) that I found last week at TJ Maxx

*I had seen this Kurt Adler ornament online, so I was stoked to find it locally – it’s especially meaningful because Madeline LOVES broccoli

*and we ALL love avocado. The photo doesn’t do it justice – it’s gorgeous! And peeking behind it is a mini strawberry. Madeline can easily eat her weight in strawberries if I let her

*another find from Beth at Lord & Taylor

*a great deal from Crate & Barrel – $2.25!

*I grabbed this one when I got my iced coffee this week – $3.99

There is one more that Dunkin’ Donuts released this year. I haven’t had a chance to take a picture of it yet or hang it, but it’s an adorable chocolate frosted donut. Also $3.99.

Target also has a PB&J sandwich ornament, as well as a grilled cheese ornament. They’re both $5 each, very sizable, and I *think* they’ll be under my parents’ Christmas tree.

Emeril designed this tomato ornament for HSN, and the proceeds benefit St. Jude (unfortunately it’s currently sold out).

This cute mini cupcake set from Martha Stewart is on sale at Macy’s,

Although I didn’t buy any, Sur la Table has some pretty great food and drink ornaments (a ton of them!). Some are very overpriced. I found a few that weren’t, but once you add in shipping and handling, it becomes a bit cost-prohibitive. If I was buying other items, then I would just tack a couple ornaments onto the order, but alas, there was nothing else I needed. And I tried really hard!

There are a number gorgeous glass ornaments, by Kurt Adler, Old World Christmas, and others (some of them are featured above). You can find quite a few on Amazon’s web site.

A look back…

The kitchen Christmas Tree in 2011
And 2010
And the first year, when it all started, 2009

Next year, I have my sights set on a new theme for the main tree in our living room. I want to do all animal ornaments. I’m going to keep my eye out for animal ornaments during the after-Christmas clearance sales (hoping this adorable set gets further reduced after the holidays; Martha has a few others as well). And if I get really desperate, I plan to buy a few packages of plastic toy animals and turn them into ornaments.

I figure we’re ripe for a new theme. It’s been rockin’ the disco ball theme, as much as we love it, since forever 2006, and I just know the kids will go crazy for an all animal one.

Especially the resident four-year-old.