Not all Christmas candy is good Christmas candy—there, we said it. 

We recently shared our Ultimate Christmas Candy Gift Guide, and as we were writing it, we realized just how many Christmas confections are out there. From chocolate to hard candy, peppermint to Christmas combo boxes, there’s so much to choose from this time of year.

There are tons of holiday candies out there that will tickle your taste buds and have you feeling giddy about the festivities, but there are a few we need to kick off as contenders on the Christmas candy list.

We’re talking about that Christmas candy that people tend to avoid—the stuff that gets handed out at Santa buffets and the mall, the sweets that get stuffed into stockings never to be consumed by children.

We’re not saying these candies should be cast into the abyss never to be tasted again, but they definitely need to be taken off the guest list at your next Christmas party.

While Christmas is usually the time for highlighting the sweetest things of the season, we thought it would be fun to venture down a different path and see what some people (we like to call Scrooges) have to say about which Christmas treats are the worst of all time. 

Here’s what we found…

5 Of The Worst Christmas Candies

Reindeer Snot 

You’re probably wondering what Reindeer Snot and up until this Christmas season, we had never heard of it either. Turns out that apparently reindeer produce some type of slimy snot that tastes like a mixture of sour apple and Christmas—we’ve yet to confirm this truth. 

While it might come in some tempting packaging and look like some of the classic gummy candy you would eat as a kid, there’s just something wrong about eating something with the name snot. Sure some of us might have picked our noses as kids, but now it’s best we stay away from snot altogether. 

Spice Drops 

Yes, they talk about spiced gumdrops a lot during Christmas, especially when Buddy the Elf ventures through the sea of swirly twirly gumdrops, but we’ve had it with them. Yes, they’re packed full of fruity flavor that takes your taste buds right back to childhood, but they’re so sticky and so gooey, that we still have some stuck in our teeth from last Christmas.

If you’re going to eat spiced gumdrops you mine as well side with something a little more teeth-friendly like Sour Patch Kids so that you can snack freely without having to worry about the lingering leftovers. 

Marshmallow Holiday Tree

When you think of iconic Christmas candy flavors, it usually falls in line with peppermint, gingerbread, and cinnamon. But would you ever consider marshmallows to be in that category? Though they can make great shapes like Christmas trees and snowmen, there’s just something about the taste and texture of marshmallows that don't quite fit the vibe of Christmas candy.

Sure, we’re totally fine with marshmallows on top of hot chocolate, but when you turn it into a giant green, glittery Christmas tree on a stick, we have to gladly look the other way and opt for a Christmas cookie instead. 

Chocolate Cherries & Oranges

You probably remember these little sweets from your grandma’s stash of Christmas candy tucked over by her rocking chair next to the tree. Usually, she saves these for a pre-Christmas eve dinner snack, telling you not to spoil your meal with this strange collaboration between fruit and chocolate.

A throwback to older days, these two candies have been around since the mid 1800s and earned massive popularity in the mid 1900’s. Sure, they’ve earned their spot as a valid tasty treat for candy lovers, but covering some everyday fruits in chocolate and calling it Christmas candy is not going to cut it here.

Cotton Candy Snowballs

When we first came across this concoction, we were puzzled. It read Christmas Cotton Candy with sparkles of red, white, and green scattered across the cloud of candy contained inside the packaging. Was this meant to be eaten, or used as some type of colored decor around your Christmas tree? The only time we’ve ever seen cotton candy at a gathering is the circus, so this was new to us.

There’s just something about snacking on cotton candy while watching a Christmas movie that just sounds a little weird, but maybe that’s just because Buddy the Elf doesn’t include cotton candy in his four main food group lists. Nonetheless, we hopped on the bandwagon and started stocking up on cotton candy snowballs ourselves, so you can grab them right here and try for yourself. 

Keep Christmas sweet with good candy…