$6 Kmart hack to create viral festive treat in minutes: 'Perfect for beginners'

If you're one of those people who leave getting organised for Christmas until the last minute then you're probably a) on the hunt for some quick and easy ways to make the festive season special and b) stressed. As one of the disorganised masses, I feel your pain.

Before you declare the silly season ruined, however, there are plenty of easy and affordable hacks that will have you crowned the Martha Stewart of your family gathering. Or, you know, whoever you think is really clever and creative.

Aussie mum Chantel Mila has one such hack, sharing a cute idea for candy cane bows in a TikTok that has since been viewed more than 300,000 times. Better yet, she tells Yahoo Lifestyle that the bows are incredibly simple to make - and all you need is a $6 box of candy canes from Kmart.

Simple Christmas idea using $6 Kmart item

"It’s perfect for beginners and so easy," Chantel says of her creation. "You don’t need any baking experience at all. As well as being easy - they’re quick to make too. You can give these candy cane bows as gifts, place them on your desserts, decorate your charcuterie boards with them or even add them as an addition to your gift wrapping."

Chantel's followers are certainly "sweet" on the inventive idea, with her video being liked more than 12,000 times and saved more than 300.

"Love this, so creative and delicious!" one comment reads.

"These look fun and easy," says another.

"This is so cute and creative," a third person added.

Steps for making the candy cane bows

• Start by lining a tray with baking paper

• Preheat your oven to 70 degrees C

• Use two candy canes to create a heart shape and place them down on the tray

• Place the candy canes in the oven for 10 minutes until they’re soft and bendy

• Remove from the oven and pinch the centre to create a bow-shape

• Break off another small piece of candy cane and place it in the centre of the bow

• Bake for another 10 minutes

• Pinch into a bow shape

Although the recipe is very easy to follow, Chantel does offer a word of advice.

"Make sure your oven isn’t too hot!" she tells us. "I found 70 degrees C to be the perfect temperature, but if it’s too hot the candy cane can melt, so keep an eye on the in the oven."

Other simple Christmas DIY's

Chantel, who has 1.5 million followers on TikTok, has several videos of other cute and Christmassy DIYs you can try this festive season.

One video, in which she shares how to make your front door look like a present, has been viewed 3.8 million times!

"Such a cute + affordable way to add some Christmas joy to your front entry 🎀🎄," she captioned the video. "Just simply wrap some tulle or ribbon around your door vertically and horizontally and then tie a bow in the middle! You can do the same thing to the other side as well - so cute + easy!"

Chantel also told Yahoo Lifestyle about some of her other ideas, such as how to create the perfect show-stopping centrepiece using items you can find for as little as $8.

"If you’re looking for a cute and simple Christmas table centrepiece, you can fill a vase or jar with Epsom salt and add some mini Christmas houses and trees inside with electronic tea light candles," she says. "The final look is a mini Christmas snow globe which is perfect for the holidays."

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Kmart sells a three-pack of wooden Christmas trees for $10, while you can also buy mini Christmas houses for $8 to create this centrepiece.

Another simple idea for making your Christmas table special is to lean into a popular trend of 2024.

Says Chantel, "This year, bows are trending, and you can also fold your napkins into gorgeous bows for your tablescape just using a napkin and napkin ring!"

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