Tradition

My Family’s Gumdrop Tree Tradition
A Legacy of Sweetness and Gratitude

The tradition of decorating gumdrop trees at Christmastime is woven into the fabric of many Southern families, especially those with roots in Appalachia. Some say it began as early as the 1930s, when times were hard and money was scarce. In place of store-bought ornaments, families would gather thorny branches from the woods and press colorful gumdrops onto the tips—simple, sweet, and full of holiday spirit.

For my family, this cherished tradition began with my grandmother, Bertie Mae Phillips Dollar, in Baskin, Louisiana. While I know she was making gumdrop trees by the 1940s, it’s very possible the tradition started even earlier in her life. I don’t know exactly where she first learned of it, but I do know that her brother, Wayne Phillips, also made gumdrop trees for his family at Christmastime—suggesting it was a treasured tradition shared among siblings.

My own memories begin in the 1970s, when I was a young girl visiting my grandmother’s house in Baskin. Each year, we would head into the woods and carefully search for just the right thorny branch—something with tips strong enough to hold gumdrops. We’d bring it back to her house and place it in a decorative container. If the branch was small, it would sit proudly on the table; if it was large, we’d place it on the floor like a miniature Christmas tree.

Once the whole family had gathered, we’d take turns placing gumdrops on the branches—each person naming something they were grateful for as they added their gumdrop. It was more than decoration; it was a moment of reflection and togetherness.

As a child, my favorite part was running by the gumdrop tree and grabbing a gumdrop to eat—it was a little burst of sweetness that made the season feel even more magical.

In the 1950s, plastic gumdrop trees began appearing in stores across America, marketed as “candy trees” for holiday entertaining.

Those memories are the heart of The Grateful Gumdrop Tree. They are stories of family, of gratitude, and of finding joy in the simplest of traditions.