Jell-O Molds & Fruitcake: The Absolute Worst Holiday Desserts in History (And How to Fix Your Dessert Table)

The holidays are supposed to be the most delicious time of the year. We look forward to tables packed with savory roasts, crispy potato chips, and rich, sugary treats. But let’s be honest: every festive season, there is always that one dish. The one that sits in the corner of the buffet line completely untouched, looking less like food and more like a high school science experiment.

At NordSnacks, we believe the holidays are too short for bad snacks. If you are tired of polite grimaces and leftover waste, it's time to call out the absolute worst holiday desserts in history.

From the terrifying culinary trends of the 1960s to the stubborn holiday staples that just won't go away, here are the desserts you should officially ban from your menu this year—and the elite Canadian treats you should replace them with.

The 1960s "Savory" Jell-O Molds (The Ultimate Offenders)

We cannot talk about terrible holiday desserts without traveling back to the 1960s. For reasons nobody fully understands, this decade was obsessed with suspending perfectly fine ingredients inside jiggly, neon towers of gelatin.

While sweet fruit Jell-O is fine, the holiday variations went off the rails. It wasn't uncommon to walk into a festive dinner and find a shimmering, lime-flavored ring packed with canned tuna, hard-boiled eggs, celery, and a heavy dollop of mayonnaise.

Other legendary 1960s holiday crimes included:

• The Perfection Salad: Cabbage, celery, and green peppers trapped in lemon Jell-O.

• The Fiesta Peach Mold: Canned peaches drowned in vinegar-spiced gelatin and topped with sour cream.

The Fix: If you want a nostalgic, festive treat that actually jiggles, step away from the celery and mayo. Instead, grab a box of Vachon Rosettes or Ah Caramel! cakes. They offer that soft, pillowy texture without the haunting aftertaste of seafood gelatin.

The Unkillable Fruitcake

It’s heavy enough to use as a doorstop, and it tastes like it was baked during the previous century. The traditional holiday fruitcake is a dense brick of candied fruit peels, nuts, and enough alcohol to preserve it through a nuclear winter. While it has historical roots, the modern consensus is clear: nobody actually wants to chew through a piece of neon-green candied citron.

The Fix: Trade the heavy fruitcake for a box of Leclerc Celebration Maple Leaf Cream Cookies. You still get a beautiful, festive aesthetic, but with an authentic Canadian maple cream filling that people will actually fight over.

Mince Pie (When Meat Meets Dessert)

Traditional mincemeat pies are a holiday staple in many households, but they are a massive gamble for guests. Historically made with actual minced meat (like beef or suet), modern versions usually stick to dried fruits, distilled spirits, and spices. Still, the texture is mushy, the flavor is intensely spiced, and it lacks the comforting, buttery sweetness people crave at the end of a holiday meal.

The Fix: Want a rich, fruit-forward dessert that doesn't feel like a medieval savory pie? Try Whippet Black Forest or Strawberry cookies. You get a burst of real fruit flavor paired with marshmallow and a hard chocolate shell.

Ribbon Candy

Ribbon candy is beautiful to look at, which is why it usually sits in a decorative glass dish on a grandparent's coffee table. But trying to eat it is a logistical nightmare. It’s sharp, it shatters into a million sticky pieces, and it usually tastes like pure, unflavored sugar or artificial peppermint that dries out your mouth.

The Fix: If you want colorful, fun sweets to decorate your table and satisfy a sweet tooth, ditch the sharp ribbon candy. Pour a bowl of Maynards Fuzzy Peaches or Swedish Berries. They are soft, intensely flavorful, and guaranteed to disappear before dinner even starts.

Upgrade Your Holiday Table with NordSnacks!

Life is too short for tuna Jell-O and rock-hard fruitcakes. This year, give your guests what they actually want: authentic, iconic Canadian treats.

Whether you are hosting a party or looking for the perfect holiday gift box for friends and family overseas in the US, UK, or Europe, we've got you covered. Head over to our shop and build your ultimate Canadian Snack Variety Box today!