Alternative icing/decoration/adornment for a traditional Christmas cake

[Unprune]

I adore marzipan and icing, but no other bugger in my family does.
What alternatives are there? I can think of candied fruit and nuts stuck on with ?apricot jam, but that's about it. I'm not convinced that's a great idea.

Can't they just peel off the marzipan. I do.

TBH I am Scottish and have a sweet tooth. Anything to fend off the diabetes for another few years...

I have just realised there's a Christmas topic that I didn't look in

Bah, have trawled through that topic and can't see anything likely.
Come on folks

Have faith in your idea, its a very good one. Do it properly, though.

Mix of nuts - whole, eg Brazils, Walnuts, Almonds
3-4 tbspns apricot jam
Splash of brandy
Natural colour glace cherries
Good dried fruits eg Organic prunes, apricots and figs, stoned and soaked
Mixture of crystallised fruits eg pineapple and ginger

Toast the nuts for a few mins in a medium oven until crisp but not brown. Sieve apricot jam into a pan to get rid of lumps of fruit. Add brandy and heat on low, stirring well. Using a pastry brush, glaze top of cake with it. Arrange fruits and nuts and when all in place glaze again.

You could just sprinkle it with edible glitter in gold and tie in up with a festive ribbon, or wrap ribbon around it as if it was a parcel with a big bow on top (obviously just for show, need to take off to eat).

Or just plonk a sprig of holly on top and dust with icing sugar.