The holidays are fast approaching. Chances are, along with the gift buying, festivities planning and card writing, you’re also looking for new ways to make the holidays special.

Betty Crocker’s creative culinary minds conducted an exclusive survey on Facebook, revealing the “Betty 10 Red Hot Holiday Trends,” this season’s top 10 holiday food trends. Using these trends as inspiration they developed a cache of fun new ways to cook some extra joy into your festivities.

1. Bright Colors, Playful Food: Food Is Fun Again. Food is more fun than ever. Foodie bloggers and boutique bakeries are using bright pops of color, putting cake on a stick and introducing all sorts of creative new takes on traditional baked goods.

2. Street Eats and Tweets: Meals Go Mobile. Street food is all the rage, exploding from the coasts to the heartland and even on to reality TV this year. Food truck fans use Twitter to make sure they can find these restaurants-on-wheels and get their hands on the cutting-edge flavors they create.

3. Man Up, Eat Up: Beer. Bacon. Good. The manly man is back in a big way and along with the mostly tongue-in-cheek renaissance of macho comes the rise of Dude Food. With craft brewing at an all-time high and the popularity of bacon seemingly never ending, men (and women) are using these favorite foods in new and exciting ways.

4. Spot at the Table: Pets Are Part of the Family. Pets are more than cuddly companions; they’re truly part of the family. As a special treat, many “pet parents” have started making homemade goodies for their furry family members.

5. Gifts to DIY for: Wrap Up Some Creativity. Do it yourself is the way to go this year to stretch the holiday budget. Making homemade gifts is a creative way to add a pinch of personality while also saving on holiday presents.

6. Food for a Cause: Feed The Soul. The holidays are a season of charity. Bake sales have resurfaced as a way to raise money for a variety of causes during the holidays.

7. Kids in the Kitchen: Connect While You Cook. From reality TV to gourmet cooking classes it seems like everyone wants to get creative in the kitchen, including the kids.

8. Alternative Diets Go Mainstream: Hold the Gluten. Embrace the Vegan. The number of people eating gluten free and vegan has risen steadily in the last few years. It’s everywhere from bakeries to celebrity weddings.

9. Retro Rewind: Get Back to Great. Everything old is new again with ’60s style invading entertainment and fashion this year.

10. Mixology Mashup: Cookies Meet Cocktails. Classic cocktails have never gone out of style. But now, bartenders are creating new cocktails inspired by fresh flavors and even foods themselves, like Christmas cookies.

Trends can be fun, but without strategies to bring them to life, they can be a challenge, too. Not to worry! The Betty 10 comes with 16 recipes as well as idea-inspiring videos on the Betty Crocker website.

See how easy it can be to get playful with your food. For recipe ideas and videos for the Bright Colors, Playful Food, Kids in the Kitchen and Man Up, Eat Up themes, visit redhot.bettycrocker.com/videos. Recipes included are: Cupcake Poppers, Reindeer Feed and Mancakes.

Find more of the holiday’s hottest trends and recipes at bettycrocker.com/redhot or visit Betty Crocker’s Facebook page and click Red Hot. Give your holiday a kick-start with these recipes:

Kids in the Kitchen: Reindeer Feed

Prep time: 10 minutes

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

6 cups Rice Chex or Chocolate Chex cereal

1 bag (12 ounces) white vanilla baking chips (2 cups)

1/3 cup coarsely crushed peppermint candy canes (14 miniature, unwrapped)

Directions:

1. Line cookie sheet with foil or waxed paper. Place cereal in large bowl.

2. In small microwavable bowl, microwave white vanilla baking chips uncovered on high about 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until chips can be stirred smooth. Stir in half the crushed peppermint candy.

3. Pour over cereal mixture; toss to evenly coat. Spread mixture in single layer on cookie sheet. Immediately sprinkle with remaining candy. Let stand until set, about 20 minutes. Gently break up coated cereal. Store in airtight container.

Makes 20 servings (1/2 cup each)

Gift to DIY: Salted Chocolate Almond Fudge

Prep time: 15 minutes

Start to finish: 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 can (6 ounces) coarsely chopped smoked almonds

1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

1 cup chopped dried cherries

1/2 teaspoon Fleur de Sel sea salt, if desired

Directions:

1. Line cookie sheet with foil. Line 8-inch square pan with foil.

2. In 8-inch nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in brown sugar, and cook until bubbly. Cook 1 minute longer, stirring occasionally. Add almonds; stir to coat. Spread almonds on cookie sheet. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Break into small pieces.

3. In large microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave 1 minute longer. Add almonds and dried cherries; stir until blended.

4. Spread evenly in 8-inch square pan. Sprinkle with salt. Refrigerate about 2 hours until firm. Cut into 6 rows-by-6 rows. Store covered at room temperature.