If there’s anything that can steal the spotlight from Santa and his reindeers, it’s the Christmas tree that lights up the living room, warms up the house and acts as the backdrop to any and all family photos — including this one. Standing tall and decorated, there isn’t anything that’s going to push this Douglas Fir aside, except maybe a tree that can look just as tall and decorated but also fills the belly. 

This year, there’s going to be a new tree in town. It’s made of cocoa and it’s about to be glazed and dressed in confetti and sprinkles. It’s got its own set of elves working on holiday time and a table full of  decorating pros. Accompanying it will be an army of butter cookie bliss frosted in red and green fitted outfits. 

It’s even got it’s own north star that rivals that of the Douglas Fir’s. But we can’t skip to dessert without whetting our appetite with some hors d’oeuvre. I’m afraid that this tree is going to have to stay in its own swim lane and wait for the dessert calling in a few hours.

I dug up an old recipe that I made years ago and I thought this would be the perfect time and place to assemble it in none other than a Christmas tree mold. It takes a little bit of prep you can do the night before, but it’s essentially mixing cream cheese, smoked salmon, garlic, capers and lemon together to create the base. After letting the flavors marinade for a few hours and even a day, then you can mold it into a Christmas tree and dress it up with cilantro, toasted pecans and your favorite chip. It’s plentiful and rich with flavor, and it makes a good centerpiece on the table.

Now here’s a bit of trivia: At the end of the day, which tree came down the fastest? The salmon tree, the chocolate tree or the Douglas Fir?

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!!