A Christmas Cookie Tradition

This blog post is going to be very short, but I want to document it for my book. As I wrote in 2018 https://www.thecabincountess.com/2018/12/traditions.html my daughter loves traditions. She is a very busy person with a demanding job, but she always makes time for certain traditions. Making Christmas cookies with me is one of them. This year it was three days before Christmas but we managed. It is actually a good thing because if we make them too early, the favorites get eaten and the others get stale. 

The exciting part is that Dylan, who is a man now, actually asked if we were going to do it this year. In 2018 it was only my daughter, Ewan and myself. Gradually over the next few years, a few would show up but not with the enthusiasm they had this year. They all came in Christmas sweaters and put on Christmas music. Dylan brought his girlfriend, there was Melissa. Jack and Ewan plus Heather of course. The only grandchild missing was Sam. He arrived home from college late last night and was exhausted. My other daughter was busy or they would have also come. 

The first thing we did was eat lunch. I made a big pot of vegetable beef and barley soup and Heather brought subs.

After lunch it was time to buckle down. I had made all the cookie dough in advance but it still took a long time. I made gingerbread people just because it's "tradition" and they like decorating them. They get pretty silly and I love to hear them laugh even if the final product looks like an elementary school project. They filled piping bags and went to town. No one likes or eats these cookies, but they are fun and very messy.

Next it was time to unwrap the Rolo and Peanut Butter cups to use in a couple recipes. It is a pain so I love having all the extra hands.

Then the baking began. It's amazing how helpful older children can be. Dylan's girlfriend did the dishes as we dirtied them, The others helped with certain tasks. 

The kids love to play games so a gathering isn't complete without a game of some sort. Sometimes I wonder how they can be related to me. I don't like games, I never have. At every family gathering they play something. Today it was a game called Ticket to Ride.

 Melissa on the other hand, decided to take a nap. 

It was a perfect day. Everyone was happy and excited. A double blessing, I will see them again on Christmas Day. The snowplows had blocked my driveway and mailbox. I was tired from shoveling and kind of overwhelmed with random stuff plus the thoughts of a long winter. I appreciate everyone who got me back on track. 

Merry Christmas To All