A 10-foot unscented, unwaxed dental floss;Sewing needles;A chopstick;Pastry bags with 1 8-inch round tips, 30-foot narrow decorative holiday ribbons, such as curly ribbons (1 2 inches wide);A 12-foot-long, wide, decorative holiday ribbon (less than 1 inch wide);A 24 x 6 inch Styrofoam cone;Gold Foil Covered 12-Inch Cake Round Popcorn Wreath: Thread 10 feet of unseasoned, unwaxed dental floss through the sewing needle. Tie one end of the dental floss in a knot. Thread the needle through the softer part of each piece of popcorn, avoiding the harder shell. (Penetrating the shell may cause the popcorn to crack.) Slide down the needle and knot the other end of the dental floss to form a popcorn skewer.
For pepper wreaths: Use chopsticks to poke a hole in one side about 1 2 inches from the end of the pepper stem, being careful not to pierce the other side of the pepper. Twist the stick to widen the hole slightly. Repeat for the remaining chili peppers.
Combine goat cheese, thyme, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 4 teaspoons pepper in a medium bowl until combined. Transfer to a pastry bag containing a 1 8-inch round tip. Carefully insert the cheese filling through the hole into each pepper;Don't overstuff the peppers or they may crack. Refrigerate until ready to use. (This step can be done up to a day earlier.)
Divide kale into small, medium, and large leaves. Use the largest leaves, starting at the base of the 24 x 6-inch Styrofoam cone, then begin to cover the cone with the leaf stem end facing up. Slightly overlap each leaf and use a toothpick to pass through the widest part of the stem, leaving about 1 2 inches of toothpick. Row up along the cone, from the larger leaf to the smaller leaf, and overlap the leaf and row slightly until only about 1 row of the cone is still exposed. To make the final row, place the kale leaf stems end side down, forming the top of the tree and covering the tip of the cone. Cover any thin areas or exposed Styrofoam with the remaining leaves. Cool until ready for decoration.
Cut 20 narrow decorative ribbons 18 inches long. Tie each piece to the stem of the pepper and tie a firm knot.
Wrap a 12-foot-long, wider, decorative ribbon around the tree, starting at the bottom and working your way up. Tie the pepper to the wider ribbon on the tree using a narrow ribbon to tie a decorative bow so that the pepper hangs off the wider ribbon (it should be safe, but also easy to untie and remove). Continue with the remaining peppers, spaced them about 6 inches apart in a wider ribbon. As you work, hook each pepper bow to the end of the toothpick as a support, adding additional toothpicks if necessary until the tree is covered with peppers on all sides. Garnish with popcorn thread. Carefully transfer to a gold leaf-covered 12-inch cake pan.