Lately, Instagram has been filled with beautiful images of cheese boards, overflowing with wedges of gourmet cheese, cured meats, crackers and all sorts of toppings. Why not apply the same ideas to a modern, candy-filled board for the sweetest holiday of the year? If baking elaborate treats like pink-and-red cupcakes or fudge brownies just isn’t your thing, this sweets board takes the pressure off. No matter whom you are celebrating with this year, this board is sure to be a hit.

Below are a couple tips on how to make a beautiful board.

Choose a neutral background.

Since you’re aiming for lots of colorful candy additions to your board, keep the surface of your platter as simple and neutral as possible.  A marble tray, a wooden cutting board or a white porcelain plate work well.

Add as many different colors as you can.

Regardless of whether you opt for sugary or chocolaty candies, the most important aspect of the candy selection is that it’s colorful. For maximum variety, choose candies and cookies available in colors that pop—think less brown and beige, and more bights such as red, pink, and purple. In general, the more color, the better.

Pre-arrange candy in clear glasses or bowls.

Doing this makes it easy to grab more candy or put candy back as you’re styling the plate.

Pick a mix of different shapes, textures and sizes, too.

Mix different shapes—long and skinny, round and flat, spiral, and more—to keep the board interesting. The same goes for textures: For a crystalline effect, you can use lots of sugar-coated sour gummy candy. It was also helpful to add variety in size. Position large pieces like individual cookies next to small candies like capsule-shaped licorice. Arrange candies in clusters of different shapes, some layered vertically in rows, some stacked horizontally and others arranged in staggered diagonal form.

 Fill up your platter completely.

With any type of appetizer platter, abundance is key. Fill up the plate as much as you possibly can—then pile on even more.

Have fun – and don’t forget to take a photo of your edible work of art.