I know that creative snack trays and charcuterie boards have become A Thing this year, and holiday snack trays are A Thing too. But I’m not complaining!
In fact, I’ve spent way too much time searching for holiday snack tray ideas, In between shopping for gifts, scheduling virtual visits with Santa, and starting all those make-ahead food gifts and yummy holiday cookies for the people we love — because I think it’s important that we don’t forget to take a deep breath, and do some fun and easy “just-because-its-the-holidays” things with the kids. Ideally, before it’s time to take down the tree and turn off the sparkly lights.
I know it’s funny to have to remind ourselves to do the fun stuff, but, hey, it’s 2020.
I love the idea of picking out one of our team’s favorite holiday movies (spoiler: mine is Elf), putting on our pajamas, and curling up with one of these delicious holiday snack trays for our own treat-filled movie night.
Like the amazing Halloween Charcuterie trays we shared in October, use the nine ideas I found here as inspiration for your own evening of fun. And please, don’t worry if you can’t recreate the photos exactly.
In other words, don’t stress if you can’t find peppermint-dusted marshmallow or your chocolate-dipped Christmas Oreos look like a six-year old made them, because she did. In fact, that may even make them better.
Top photos: Number 2 Pencil and The Baker Mama
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Christmas Cookie Decorating Snack Tray
Wooden boards and trays make excellent platters for displaying charcuterie, though I also love that they make it so easy to transport an entire cookie decorating workshop to a comfy spot in your house. This Christmas Cookie Decorating Tray from Number 2 Pencil is jam-packed with everything you need for a Santa’s workshop of cookie decorating.
I appreciate that plain round sugar cookies (like the one found in Jane’s most versatile sugar dough recipe) are featured, since I’m not sure I have it in me to do cut-out cookies right now. Besides, the finished results are so cute, you won’t feel like you cut any corners by skipping the star and snowman shaped cutters.
I’d raid my local craft store or gourmet store to buy up all the adorable sprinkles, and am psyched to see how I can use up those candy eyeballs I bought for my Halloween board.
Be sure to check out all her photos to see how she turns mini M&M’s into the cutest little Christmas light cookies. Adorable!
Related: 6 snack tray ideas for kids to munch on independently all day. Say no to snack servitude!
Hot Cocoa Holiday Snack Trays
Hot Cocoa “charcuterie” snack trays are all over Instagram right now, and for good reason: There Is something so spectacular about seeing so many treats on one tray! But take note that you do not have to use the equivalent of an entire winter’s worth of cocoa and 17 different fixings to make a party tray that will make the kids jump up and down.
(Though we do think it’s worth it to whip up your own batch of homemade cocoa, like in this gorgeous Hot Cocoa Charcuterie Snack Tray from Tiffany at Easy Livin. Click over and she shares the recipe)
Though Tiffany may be a professional food stylist, don’t let it intimidate you; her ideas can be scaled down easily to make mini tray for each child. Or, throw them all together on one platter.
Her luscious homemade hot cocoa recipe looks sooooo good, especially if you can also find a fun marshmallow snowman to float on the top.
Given how frazzled I’ve been this month, I also appreciate that there are other wonderful people out there making creative hot cocoa boards that I can order to have delivered — to myself, or a lucky family member. Isn’t this Christmas Hot Cocoa Bomb Charcuterie Board from Buttercream and Sprinkles amazing?
All you have to do is heat up the milk of your choice, and let your kids drop one of her handmade cocoa bombs into a mug to watch the magic: Kaboom! Exploding cocoa!
Celebrating Hanukkah instead? I have it on good word that it may last a lot longer than 8 nights this year. In which case, make your own themed Hanukkah snack board featuring lots of gold coins and blue-and-white treats. Or, skip the DIY and order this Hanukkah Hot Chocolate Bomb Snack Board. It will arrive after the 8th candle is lit, but I don’t know a single child who would be upset to extend their celebration with chocolate and cookies.
Hanukkah Latke Snack Tray
Speaking of Hanukkah, I wouldn’t turn down this Latke-themed Charcuterie Snack Tray from Ain’t Too Proud to Meg, which includes all sorts of yummy nibbles that would easily take the place of a full dinner one evening. And, yes, this is a ton of food — likely designed for the type of holiday party we would all have been attending pre-2020 (and hopefully again in 2021!). But it’s also totally scalable for a more modest gathering with your immediately family.
Head on over to her website to get a labeled photo with every single thing on this mouth-watering board because. . .whoa. Tons of ideas and inspiration, but feel free to leave out, say, the caviar if it’s not a family favorite.
Related:: The best — and simplest — potato latkes recipe. Start Hanukkah here.
No-Bake Gingerbread Men Snack Tray
For another at-home treat decorating activity, run, run, as fast as you can…and make up this easy no-bake Gingerbread Men Holiday Snack Tray thanks to instructions from The Baker Mama. Three cheers for Rice Krispie-type treats for those of us who don’t want to have to turn on the oven; they’re even gingerbread-flavored, so they’ll taste like Christmas.
Just make sure you visit her recipe for her recommended ingredients, to insure that these cute little fellows don’t loose their head while being handled by sticky hands.
Cheesy Snowman Holiday Snack Tray
Another snack board idea from The Baker Mama, who just happened to have authored an entire book called Beautiful Boards: 50 Amazing Snack Boards for Any Occasion so she knows what she’s doing! I’m taken with her Cheesy Snowman Snack Board, which would be such a fun, fairly easy dinner idea one night.
Want some ideas that are a little lighter? Check out the post which has another adorable cheese snowman snack tray, shown at very top.
Related These 5 fun, party-inspired family dinner ideas are helping us change things up
Healthy Santa Holiday Snack Tray…with Veggies!
If you’re thinking ho-ho-hold the sweets or my kids will never sleep at bedtime, check out this Healthy Santa Holiday Snack Board, thanks again to the prolific Baker Mama. It’s filled with all sorts of veggies that kids can dip in hummus or your favorite dip because we all know that dips make veggies more fun. That cauliflower beard is adorable, and you can even blanche the cauliflower and broccoli if it’s more appealing to your kids that way.
Christmas Tree Fruit and Cheese Snack Tray
Oh Christmas Tree, indeed! This gorgeous Cheese and Fruit Christmas Tree snack board from Yvette Marquez of Muy Bueno Cookbook is muy fabuloso. With loads of tips and an ingredient list, as well as a video with assembly instructions, this holiday snack tray would make a spectacular treat for the whole family, especially if you use fruits and cheeses you know your kids love.
The star fruit absolutely makes it sparkle, but honestly, dicing the cheese may be the toughest part. Here’s to Yvette and her easy holiday snack tray ides that makes you look like…well, a star.
Thank you so much for including my latke board!
It’s genius! Why wait for next Hanukkah? We could eat this all winter!