One idea – cut out 3 rounds for holly berries (use bottle cap or such if you don’t have small round cutter). Then use knife to cut out spiky holly leaves. Or use a Santa Claus cooky cutter. Place these on top of pie filling and bake away.

2. If you have time and inclination, when pie is baked and cooled, then use frosting to decorate your crust decoration. To save time, use those little tubes from grocery; no one cares how it tastes. The gels are neat.

3. Or decorate with white frosting and candy -- licorice for Santa’s belt, gum drops for eyes, various colored sprinkles, cut up tiny marshmallows, candied fruit, non-pareils, cinnamon drops, etc.

PIE CRUST

1. Make your usual pie crust, 2-crust version. Line pie tin, put in filling, and now it’s time to play. Roll out second crust and start cutting shapes – using cooky cutters or free form with a knife. At Thanksgiving, for instance, up at my son’s house I was stuck without “necessary’ equipment so I improvised, just carving out a leaf using one nearby as a model. First one doesn’t work? Pie dough is very forgiving. Roll it up and start again. Your “second chances” are infinite. You could also use something from a child’s coloring book for a pattern.

One idea – cut out 3 rounds for holly berries (use bottle cap or such if you don’t have small round cutter). Then use knife to cut out spiky holly leaves. Or use a Santa Claus cooky cutter. Place these on top of pie filling and bake away.

If you have time and inclination, when pie is baked and cooled, then use frosting to decorate your crust decoration. To save time, use those little tubes from grocery; no one cares how it tastes. Licorice for Santa’s belt, etc.

2. Using whatever you have for top crust – shapes, lattice or solid, apply egg yolk and then sprinkle w/ colored sugar.

3. Do usual only very different, i.e., make a pumpkin chiffon pie. At serving time, crumble candy canes and sprinkle on top.

CANDY CANES

Candy canes go so well with chocolate. You can make a chocolate dessert, like that instant pudding concoction, and then sprinkle crushed candy canes atop.

SWEET POTATOES

Make your usual sweet potato recipe and put it in Pyrex®. Then whip up meringue nice and stiff, with lots of sugar. Circle bowl with meringue, and then make dollops on top with peaks. Then you can (1) sprinkle it with colored sprinkles, or (2) in center put 3 maraschino cherries and some pineapple leaves, like holly. Or put marshmallows around rim and decoration in middle. You can shape pineapple leaves with scissors.

BOULE DE NIEGE