How to String Popcorn and Cranberries for your Christmas Tree

Envision an old fashioned Christmas and the image probably has a strand of popcorn and cranberries wound around a pine tree. If you are trying to achieve a designer or elegant look for this year’s Christmas tree, you probably don’t want to add the popcorn. But if the kids will be adding homemade ornaments, and you want it old fashioned, then put aside one evening to do some popcorn stringing.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Medium sized needle
• Heavy thread
• Popcorn
• Fresh Cranberries

1. Choose white popcorn for popping, not yellow or flavored. And of course, you don’t want to add salt!

2. Thread the needle. You want a long piece of string, yet don’t make it too long, you want to keep it manageable. You can always tie two completed strands together to increase the length.

3. Look at a piece of popped popcorn. You will notice that it has all sorts of bumps exploding from the kernel’s center. Find one of the largest bumps to run the needle and thread through. Be careful not to poke your finger with the needle!

4. String about three or four inches of popcorn, then add one fresh cranberry. And then add another three or four inches of popcorn, and then add one fresh cranberry. Repeat. You want to space the cranberries, as they will make the string too heavy if you strand too many cranberries close together.

5. Fasten each end of the string by tying the thread around the end piece of popcorn or cranberry. You will do this so they don’t slip off the string.

6. Hang strand on the tree.

7. 

   Listen to my story. Okay, this really isn't a step, but I wanted to share my experience with the string of popcorn and fresh cranberries on my first Christmas tree as a newlywed, 32 years ago. That year we adopted a very young dog, almost a puppy. Well one day, I looked at our Christmas tree, and noticed something funny. Instead of a strand of popcorn, there was a string wrapped around the tree - a few inches of string, then a cranberry, then a few more inches of string, then a cranberry, and so on. Apparently our sweet Pepper delicately nibbled off the popcorn. She didn't bring down the tree, and she didn't touch the cranberries. But she got all the popcorn on the lower branches!

Tips & Warnings

• Popcorn may be tempting to pets!

[LilacGirl]

on 11/26/2008 This is great! We did this a few times in my childhood, and for someone who never has strung popcorn or cranberries, your article tells exactly how it is done, and how fun it can be. Thanks for the memories.