HOWARD — Decorating for Christmas does not have to be limited to traditional stars and angels, nor should the decking of the halls contain only shades of red and green — at least that’s how Connie Earnest decorates for the holidays.
While her Nativity scene and smaller trees are reflections of the traditional Christmas look, her other decorations are anything but typical.
For Earnest, her main tree is a sugary salute to Candy Land with lollipops, gumdrops, cookies, doughnuts, ice cream cones ... anything that will satisfy your sweet tooth. The idea came about years ago when she would make her own decorations out of real food like cookies and marshmallows. However, a trip to the old hardware store on North Sandusky Street changed everything.
“They had the ice cream cones,” she said. “I bought all their Christmas stuff that looked like candy, and I got it dirt cheap. That got me started with using ornaments that look like candy but I don’t have to make and throw it away every year. That’s been 30 years ago.”
Over the years, her collection of colorful treats has grown to include doughnuts, popcorn balls, hard candy, cupcakes, cookies and more.
“Every time I go someplace I try to pick things up for the tree,” she said. Of course, she has received ornaments as gifts from friends and family.
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