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Christmas Tree Chocolate Cupcakes – Using Cake Mix!

by Nellie

Make the most delicious holiday cupcakes for your loved ones with this recipe for Christmas Tree Cupcakes.

It is a simple recipe using a boxed cake mix that will leave you with some of the most adorable and impressive cupcakes for everyone to enjoy this holiday season.

Christmas Tree Cupcakes

Who says making decorative Christmas-themed cupcakes has to be difficult? If you want to make cupcakes that will make your loved ones smile, try this amazing cupcake recipe.

It is simple enough to prepare because it calls for a box of cake mix to use when making the cupcakes. You can select your favorite type of boxed cake mix, although the triple chocolate fudge one is so decadent and delicious. 

Besides the boxed cake mix, you will need a few additional ingredients, including decorative sprinkles and pretzel sticks to make the trees and butter with powdered sugar to create the best frosting from scratch.

You can decorate these cupcakes by yourself or get the children to lend a hand. No matter who participates in the cupcake decorating, you will have a great time putting these sweet treats together.

How to Store Your Christmas Tree Cupcakes

If you need to store the Christmas Tree Cupcakes before bringing them to an event, line them one-by-one on parchment paper in a long plastic container with plenty of space. Do not stack the cupcakes because then the frosting will get ruined. 

You should put an airtight lid on top of the container to keep the frosting from drying out. You can put your Christmas Tree Cupcakes in the fridge to keep them fresh for five days or place them in the freezer and store them for several months, which may be something you want to do if you are preparing these cupcakes ahead of time.

Christmas Tree Chocolate Cupcakes - Using Cake Mix!
Yield: 12 cupcakes

Christmas Tree Chocolate Cupcakes - Using Cake Mix!

A fun cake mix chocolate cupcake with a tree made from green candy melts, and made into a fun Christmas tree shape!

Ingredients

  • 1 box of cake mix, I used triple chocolate fudge. (and ingredients for making them as directed)
  • For Christmas Trees:
  • decorative christmas sprinkles
  • 1 tsp of coconut oil or olive oil
  • 1 cup of dark green candy melts
  • pretzel sticks
  • plastic zip bag OR piping bag
  • wax paper
  • For Frosting:
  • (Recipe is enough to frost 12 cupcakes. If you need more, double the recipe)
  • 1 stick of butter
  • 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 – 1 ½ TBSP milk (depending on the desired thickness of your frosting)

Instructions

  1. Bake Cupcakes as directed and allow to cool.
  2. While your cupcakes are baking lay out a sheet of wax paper large enough for you to work.
  3. Lay your pretzel sticks on the wax paper.
  4. In a small bowl add candy melts and oil, mix and microwave 30 seconds. Stir and microwave in 15 second intervals until well mixed and smooth.
  5. Pour candy mixture into a piping or zip lock bag. Snip a small end of the bag off with scissors.
  6. Starting about 2/3 of an inch up the pretzel stick, make a zig zag pattern back and forth up the pretzel stick doing larger zig zag motions at the bottom (for the widest part of the tree) and getting smaller as you work your way to the top.
  7. Once your tree is formed, sprinkle with Christmas sprinkles as desired.
  8. Repeat until you have enough trees for your cupcakes.
  9. Allow to cool at room temperature or place in fridge for 10 minutes to harden.
  10. While your Christmas trees are hardening, place room temperature stick of butter in a medium sized bowl. Using a hand mixer mix well. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix again until well combined.
  11. Slowly add milk little by little, mixing in between until you get the thickness/ creaminess that's desired. I like it to be a bit thicker.
  12. Choose a piping tip and place into a piping bag. Snip the end off and spoon frosting into piping bag.
  13. Gently peel your pretzel Christmas trees off the wax paper.
  14. Ice your cup cakes as desired and top with a pretzel Christmas tree.
  15. You can also add sprinkles on top of the icing or even dust lightly with powdered sugar for extra Christmas decoration.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© Nellie

If you liked these Christmas Tree Cupcakes be sure to try these Incredible Christmas Cupcakes + Free Printable Cupcake Toppers

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ChristmasFree Printablesholidayself care

Holiday Self Care Bingo – Free Printable Checklist

by Nellie

Get right into the holiday spirit with the Holiday Self Care Bingo. This unique twist on a classic game that everyone loves will have you taking the absolute best care of yourself this holiday season.

Self Care Bingo For The Holidays

Do you often feel overwhelmed during the holiday season? You may spend so much time worrying about others that you forget to do nice things for yourself, but this is never a good thing.

You need to make sure you are caring for yourself to be the best version of yourself for the people you love, including your spouse and children. 

It is for that reason that you should try the Holiday Self Care Bingo. The bingo card consists of several decent things you can do to make yourself feel good during the holiday season.

These self-care activities can help to relieve stress and put your mind at ease, making you feel more excited and happy for the holidays.

The Importance of Self Care During The Holiday Season

A lack of self-care can quickly cause issues for anyone. If you are not treating yourself to small things that will help you de-stress and put you at ease, you might feel more irritable and anxious than ever before. 

If you do this Bingo challenge, you will always have something to do that makes you feel good! These thing include taking a nap when you need to recharge, going for a walk outside to get some fresh air, and letting go of unnecessary guilt. 

Sometimes, we need to be reminded of what we can do to recharge and naturally feel better during stressful moments in our lives. The Holiday Self Care Bingo is the perfect reminder when you are feeling overwhelmed and need a pick-me-up.

Download your Christmas Self Care Bingo here and don’t forget to take care of YOU this season!

If you liked this Christmas Self Care Bingo be sure to check out these 25 Fun Holiday Traditions To Try In 2020: Free Printable Checklist

 

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ChristmasDIYFree Printablesholiday

Easy DIY Dollar Tree Hot Chocolate Mug Gift – Instructions and Printable!

by Nellie

Create the perfect gift for someone special without spending too much by creating this Dollar Tree Hot Chocolate Mug Gift. It is the perfect gift for anyone who enjoys drinking hot chocolate.

Dollar Tree Hot Chocolate Mug Gift

Would you like to purchase a gift for someone special but you need to stick to a budget? If so, making this Hot Chocolate Mug is simple and it will not break the bank. You can create this mug gift set for someone who enjoys drinking hot chocolate.

You would need to purchase a Santa mug that you can easily get at the Dollar Tree where they tend to have all kinds of holiday-themed options available for you to choose from. Any holiday themed mug will work.

In addition to the mug, you would just need a few treats to add to it, including the instant hot chocolate packets, miniature candy canes, mini marshmallows, and more.

You can find everything you need to complete the Hot Chocolate Dollar Tree Mug Gift at the Dollar Tree store in your area.

Different Ways to Customize the Dollar Tree Mug Gift 

Customize the Hot Chocolate Dollar Tree Mug Gift when giving these mugs to different people. You can choose different holiday-themed mugs for each person and then switch up the types of candies you will add inside the mug.

For example, you might want to put Snow Caps in one mug, cream cheese mints in one, and mini chocolate morsels in another. 

You can use twine in different colors on each mug. You may want to use red twine on one mug, green on another, and a blend of both red and green on a third mug.

There are dozens of great ways to customize the Dollar Tree Mug Gift sets that you will give to people. These gift sets are great to give to teachers, tutors, and even close friends who put them to good use.

Download the Gift Tag PDF Here.

Easy DIY Dollar Tree Hot Chocolate Mug Gift - Instructions and Printable!
Yield: 1 mug

Easy DIY Dollar Tree Hot Chocolate Mug Gift - Instructions and Printable!

A fun DIY hot chocolate gift with all items purchased from the dollar tree!

Materials

  • Santa mug
  • Instant hot chocolate packets
  • Snow Caps
  • Mini marshmallows
  • Mini candy canes
  • Small plastic bags
  • Twine
  • Printable gift tags

Instructions

  1. Fill one plastic bag with mini marshmallows. Tie the top closed with a piece of twine.
  2. Fill another bag with Snow Caps. Tie the top closed with a piece of twine.
  3. Place three packets of hot chocolate in the mug. Put the bags of marshmallows and Snow Caps in front of the hot chocolate
    packets.
  4. Add mini candy canes.
  5. Print out the gift tags on card stock and cut out the tags around the outer border. Punch a hole in the end of the tag and tie it to the handle of the mug with twine.
  6. Note: All items for this gift were purchased at Dollar Tree.

Did you make this project?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram

© Nellie

If you liked this easy DIY Dollar Tree Chocolate Mug be sure to try these Homemade Hot Chocolate Gift Jars: Easy Christmas Gifts!

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ChristmasFree Printablesholiday

Easy Gift Giving Rules and Free Printable Christmas Gift Tags

by Nellie

Gift Giving Rules and Ideas

When it comes to holiday gifts, there can be a lot of decisions and choices to make. But this Gift Giving Rules and Ideas printable was created to make everything so much easier for you!

In fact, this easy holiday printable breaks it down so that your child can choose something that they want, read, wear, and need from the list, and write it on a Christmas tag so that everyone knows and there aren’t any surprises or guesses.

Talk about gift giving made simple!

Talking about needs versus wants with your children

This is still a topic that I struggle with as a parent. And when the holidays roll around, it seems like the “want” list for our children gets longer and longer every single year.

What I love about this 4 gift approach for the holidays is that it makes it simple for everyone to get items and it also makes your child think more about their wants as well.

Because if they know that they’re going to get just one item from their “want” list, they’re going to think about what that one item really needs to be.

It stops them from just writing down a hundred million toys on their list and really helps them to focus on something that they’ve really been wanting for a while. 

Gift Giving Rules and Ideas

There are a couple of thought processes behind the idea of having tags with the items listed on it.

First, it makes everyone in the family take a step back and realize that the point of Christmas isn’t really about the gifts and puts the focus back on having quality family time. 

And secondly, it makes gift-giving that much more simple. There’s truth to the fact that there can be a lot of anxiety that builds up when it comes to giving gifts. I think we have had all the anxiety we need for the year!

These holiday tags are used so that the person giving the gift knows exactly what the other person is hoping for. It doesn’t get much more simple than that! 

When it comes time for holiday gift-giving, these gift-giving rules and ideas are certain to keep everyone on an even playing field! 

Download your Free Gift Tags and Gift Giving Rules here!

Gift Rules _ Ideas + Tags_#3

If you loved these gift giving rules be sure to check out this Free Christmas Gift Planner Printable To Keep You Organized!

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ChristmasFree Printablesholiday

Stocking Stuffer Ideas For Him and For Her – Free Printable

by Nellie

Having a hard time trying to figure out what to put in someone’s stocking? Here are some awesome Christmas Stocking Stuffer Ideas for her or for him!

With the holidays quickly approaching, you may be in the thinking phase of gift buying. Now is the time to start thinking about all of those stocking stuffer ideas for him and for her.

You don’t have to go crazy expensive to afford stocking stuffers. Instead, you can plan now, so that you can purchase what you want for the man or woman in your life. 

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Him

It truly can be hard to pick a stocking stuff idea when it feels like the man in your life has everything they could possibly want or need. I have a great list of stocking stuffer ideas ready for him.

I feel like when you have a list to choose from, it’s much easier to shop. No one wants to go to the store to shop and play a guessing game of what someone might want. Make sure you take this list to the store with you!

Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Her

Women can be hard to shop for, which is why I decided to put this stocking stuffer list together in the first place. No one should have to guess what they get the lady in their life.

This stocking stuffer list is great because it narrows down the choices. You don’t have to spend your time guessing. Instead, you can easily grab a gift based on this list. 

Gone are the days in which you agonize over what to buy your loved ones. These stocking ideas for him and for her are perfect in so many ways!

They are simple gifts, yet they are something they will love. If you have a chance, spend some time narrowing down what you think the man or lady in your life will like from this list. This will help make stocking stuffer shopping so much easier. 

Download your Stocking Stuffer Ideas PDF today!

If you like these stocking ideas be sure to check out these Clutter Free Christmas Gift Ideas – Free Printable Checklist

 

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