When it comes to holiday events in my family, the tables are typically topped with an abundance of delicious yet fat-, calorie-, and sugar-laden eats and treats. So on our Christmas Day buffet table, I decided one of my dishes would be a more healthy sort of something.

No veggie tray, mind you, as peppers, carrots, celery and such notoriously go untouched. Instead, I chose fresh, fruity fare with a festive flair to impress my guests with a healthy holiday option.

I sliced and arranged a kiwi tree, dotted it with berry adornments, and topped with a (not so artistically carved) lemon-rind star. All the while imagining the oohs and aahs and YUMs to come.

Only were there no oohs, no aaahs, nor a single yum uttered. In fact, there wasn't a single kiwi slice or berry bit served up from my clever concoction — beyond the few slices Andrea took when I expressed my distress as we both snapped up seconds of something more savory from the table.

At one point I offered a serving from the still full tray to a guest, hoping to keep a bit of the fruit from going to waste. "I don't eat kiwi," said the adult, who shall remain nameless. "Kiwi is disgusting. Yuck!"

Despite his disdain for the dish, I refused to let the fruit go to waste: After the guests left, I ate it all myself! All the while thinking YUM — and pledging to never again offer the fresh fruity (and gloriously festive!) fare at future holiday gatherings!