December is finally here and that means it’s a special time here at Wendolonia! What time is it?
It’s time for fun Christmas lunches!
I’ve pulled together twelve ideas for you to put into Christmas bento boxes or to serve up on plates. Most are super simple though a few require some equipment you probably already have tucked in a cupboard for your yearly Christmas baking. None of them will take you more than 5 minutes to pull together. For reals!
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| Fancy Crackers Let’s start things off really, really easy:
Boom! Done! The crackers up above are Goldfish (you can also buy them in Christmas shapes), Wheat Thins and Ritz Crackers. I found all of these at Target and my neighborhood Lucky supermarket. I also found red and green tortilla chips so keep your eye out for other crackers, chips and stuff like that. |
Red and Green Fruit (or Veggies) Cut up one fruit that’s green and another fruit that’s red and mix them together. I used strawberries and kiwis up above. Other ideas for green fruit: grapes, green apples, or honeydew melon. Other ideas for red fruit: raspberries, pomegranate seeds (SO pretty!), red grapes or dried cranberries.You can also do this with veggies. Try peas, green beans or cucumbers for the green. Kid-friendly options for red veggies: cherry tomatoes, red pepper or radishes. |
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| Yogurt with Sprinkles Spoon some yogurt into a leak-proof container and then top it with Christmas-y sprinkles. I used holly leaves and berries  on this one, but you could also use other fancy sprinkles like snowflakes , candy canes or gingerbread men . Or just keep it simple with red and green jimmies . |
“Candy Cane” Apples Cut a chunk of red-skinned apple into quarter inch slices, then turn every other slice over so that the pieces alternate in red and white stripes. You can also do this with alternating slices of red and green-skinned apples for an equally cool effect. |
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| Decorative Christmas Picks Christmas-themed picks made for decorating cupcakes are very easy to find right now. Check grocery stores, Target, and cooking supply stores for Santas, elves, gingerbread men and other festive characters then poke them into fruits, veggies, cheese or sandwiches in your lunch box. |
DIY Christmas Picks Can’t find any cupcake picks in the stores? Make your own! I busted these babies out in just a couple minutes using stickers from the kids’ craft supply stash and toothpicks. I pulled identical stickers from a big sticker pad (symmetrical stickers or two mirror images work best), then lined them up and pressed them together on the end of a toothpick. I like making these because I can use them for any theme I like. |
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| Sprinkle Sandwich This is a cute way to use up more sprinkles and liven up a lunch box mainstay. Cut a hole in the middle of a slice of bread using a cookie cutter in a Christmas shape. Spread an uncut slice of bread with peanut butter and jelly (use sunflower seed butter or cream cheese if your school is nut-free). Place the cut slice of bread on top and fill in the hole with Christmas sprinkles. |
Red and White Salami Roll-ups These savory roll-ups look like the ubiquitous peppermint candies that are everywhere this time of year. Well, sort of. I admit my execution suffered a little here because my cheese cracked when I rolled them up, but I’m hoping you get the idea. (There’s an example on page 90 in my book  that worked out fine so you can tell I’m not just making things up.) To make them, fold a slice of salami in half, put a strip of white cheese on top and roll them up jellyroll style. Secure the rolls by tucking them into a silicone cup or by spearing them with some of those cute picks I mentioned up above. |
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| “Gingerbread Man” Sandwich Another sandwich idea because sandwiches are simple and most kids like them. Use a gingerbread man cutter to make a sandwich, then decorate it with little pieces of cheese. If you have a tiny circle cutter you can use that for the eyes and buttons, but if you don’t, use the end of a drinking straw. Cut the smiley face out of the cheese with a knife. This looks good with whole wheat bread and even better with darker rye bread because it more closely resembles actual gingerbread. |
Stamped Christmas Sandwiches Stamping cookie cutters take all of the work out of making cute sandwiches and they are pretty easy to find this time of year. Cut two pieces of bread with a shape cutter, then stamp one of them with the included imprint plate to add a design. Assemble the sandwich with whatever fillings you would normally use. If you are looking for stamping cutters, Target has some cute ones this year and I also found these  , these , and these on Amazon. For more tips on stamping sandwiches, check out this tutorial. |
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| Snap Pea Christmas Tree Healthy and adorable! Thread sugar snap peas on a wooden shish kebab skewer, trim the skewer to fit in the space you have and then cut the edges of the snap peas at an angle to mimic a fir tree. Top the tree with a cheese star (a cherry tomato also looks good) and decorate it with tiny circles or stars cut from cheese, red pepper, or thin slices of carrots. |
Tomato and Cheese Santa Hats If you are a Pinterest user, I’m sure you have seen three million variations of the Santa hats made from strawberries and marshmallows by now. They are adorable and would make a fantastic addition to your child’s lunch box, but if you are looking for something slightly healthier or for a way to trick your kid into eating a vegetable, try making this tomato version. Slice a cherry tomato in half and then cut a 1/4 slice from a bocconcini (those are the fresh mozzarella balls that are about an inch in diameter). Cut another small ball from the mozzarella for the hat’s pompom, then thread them all on a toothpick or one of those decorative picks I like so much. |
 Do you have something special you like to do for Christmas lunches? Have you already made a special Christmas lunch? Feel free to add it to the link-up down below!
