Handmade by Earl Whitaker · Hocking Hills, Ohio
Coy's Pecan Christmas Serving Tray
Coy's Pecan Christmas Serving Tray
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Coy's Pecan Christmas Serving Tray
Handcarved in Albany, Georgia · since 1986
One solid piece · no glue · no plasticA Little Christmas, Carved From One Piece of Pecan
“Every one of these was headed for a burn pile. Now it gets to hold somebody’s Christmas cookies.” — Coy
“Everybody buys the cheap one once. By next Christmas the shine has gone cloudy and there is a dark line down the middle. Mine have nothing in them to come apart.”
— Coy Wimberly (68), at the bench since 1986Pick your shape
Christmas Tree
The first one he ever carved, for his mother in 1988. Three tiers for cookies, fudge and candy.
Reindeer
A deep round bowl with carved antlers. Peppermints by the door, carrots for Santa’s team.
Gingerbread Man
Head, body and legs as three compartments. Pecans, chocolates and the good cookies.
Snowman
The biggest of the six. Hat, head and a wide belly for cheese, crackers and grapes.
Santa Hat
Two compartments plus a little round pompom dish for olives, nuts or a dip.
Stocking
Cuff, leg, heel and toe. The candy tray nobody admits to eating from.
Each tray comes from a different trunk, so color and grain vary slightly. Sizes are approximate.
What makes Coy’s trays different
Carved from one block
No strips, no glue seams. The grain runs unbroken from the rim into every compartment and through to the back.
Rescued pecan
Every tray comes from orchard removals and storm-downed pecans around Dougherty County. No living tree is cut.
Harder than maple
Pecan rates around 1,820 on the woodworkers’ hardness scale, so spreaders and serving forks do not mark it every season.
Dried slowly, then rested
Months of air drying, a small kiln, then rest again before the gouge. This is the step cheap trays skip, and why they crack.
Oil only, never lacquer
Scraped by hand and finished with food-safe mineral oil. Nothing sprayed on, nothing to flake onto your cookies.
Out all year
Cookies at Christmas, olives at New Year’s, snacks in February, keys on the dresser the rest of the year.
The store tray and his
| Typical store tray | Coy’s tray | |
|---|---|---|
| Build | 4–5 strips glued together | One solid piece of pecan |
| Finish | Sprayed lacquer that clouds and flakes | Food-safe mineral oil |
| Drying | Rushed, cracks after a few weeks | Air-dried, kilned, rested |
| Wood | Plantation acacia or rubberwood | Georgia pecan from orchard removals |
| Made by | A factory line | One man in a barn in Albany |
Made by hand in Albany, Georgia
My grandfather planted our pecans in 1931. When the orchard came out in 1986, every trunk went on a burn pile, and I pulled one of them off it. Two years later I carved my mother a little Christmas tree tray out of it. It still comes out of her cupboard every December.
I have carved every Christmas since. I work alone, I throw out one tray in five that is not right, and my niece Darcy packs and ships them from here. If yours is not right for any reason, send it back. I would rather have it back on my bench than in your attic.
— Coy Wimberly
“Hot noodle soup eaten from melamine bowls: 8.35 µg of melamine excreted in the following 12 hours. The same soup eaten from ceramic bowls: 1.31 µg.”
JAMA Internal Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Taiwan, 2013. Melamine is the hard plastic most holiday platters and snack trays are made of. Heat and acid pull it out.How to use and care for it
- Fill it. Cookies, candy, nuts, cheese, olives, fruit. Warm food is fine; it is just wood.
- Wash by hand. Warm water and a drop of soap, then dry it standing on its edge. No dishwasher, no soaking.
- Oil it now and then. A thin coat of food-safe mineral oil once a month keeps the color deep. Wipe off what does not soak in.
- Leave it out. It does not have to go back in the attic on December 26th.
Perfect for
What arrives at your door
- One handcarved pecan tray in the shape you choose
- Already oiled and ready to use
- Wrapped in tissue and kraft paper, ready to go under the tree
- A short care note from Coy
90-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Fill it, serve on it, give it away. If it is not right — the size, the shape, the grain, or no reason at all — send it back within 90 days for your money back. No restocking fee.
Specifications
| Material | Solid Georgia pecan, one piece |
| Finish | Food-safe mineral oil, no lacquer |
| Sizes | Tree 7.9 × 5.6 in · Reindeer 7.9 × 6.7 in · Gingerbread Man 7.9 in tall · Snowman 11.8 × 7.6 in · Santa Hat 7.1 in tall · Stocking 7.9 in tall |
| Care | Hand wash, dry on edge, oil monthly. Not dishwasher or microwave safe. |
| Made in | Albany, Georgia, USA |
| Ships | Within 1–2 days, free U.S. shipping |
Meet your maker: Earl Whitaker
34 years a shop teacher. Now he builds birdhouses the slow way — one at a time, signed by hand.
Read Earl's story →
The Back Road Guarantee
If anything ever fails on this birdhouse — a joint, a hinge, the roof — Earl repairs or replaces it for free. For life. No receipts, no forms, no fine print. That's the deal he made us, and it's the deal we make you.
Before You Order
When will my order ship?
The maker keeps a small number finished and ready. Orders ship straight from the workshop within 3 business days, and you'll get a tracking number the moment it's on its way. If a batch sells out, the page will say so honestly — and you can join the waitlist for the next one.
What if it arrives damaged or I don't love it?
You have 60 days to change your mind — send it back for a full refund, no questions asked. And if anything ever fails on it, the Back Road Guarantee covers repairs or replacement for life, handled directly with the maker.
Is every piece really made by one person?
Yes. Every piece is made start to finish by one maker — cut, finished, signed, and wrapped by hand. That's why batches are small and why yours will carry a hand-written number.
Will mine look exactly like the photos?
Almost — but not perfectly, and that's the point. Natural materials vary in grain and tone, so every piece is one of a kind. What never varies is the craftsmanship behind it.
Is it a good gift?
It's our most-gifted item. Every order arrives hand-wrapped in kraft paper with twine and a signed note from the maker — no receipt in the box, so it ships straight to the lucky person.