Tag: #christmas

If you know me or have been following my blog for a while, you know that Christmas Cookies are very important to me. They are more than just a sweet treat to enjoy during the holidays, they are a real tradition.

December always seems like such a short month with so much to do. Everyone is scurrying around gathering gifts, decorating and trying to fit in all the holiday get togethers. Frankly, I find it all a bit stressful and exhausting. Baking Christmas cookies is a way for me to creatively work through all a lot of my holiday anxiety.

Cookie Traditions

In the past, I have hosted elaborate Cookie Baking Parties where everyone comes and helps with the baking and decorating. It was so much fun. After many years, we transitioned into just a Cookie Swap because people were so busy. Last year, it was just my daughter and I with two of our friends and it was still a blast. (Maybe that was because of the copious amounts of warm mulled wine we drank during the process).

Check out these past posts for an in depth look at just how my cookie baking tradition got started and why it is so important to me.

Covid Cookies?

This year Covid-19 presents a whole new set of challenges for my Cookie baking. For one, we can’t host a gathering because it could spread the virus to our guests. Because we have so many cookies, we usually make goodie baskets of treats to share with others. But that isn’t a good idea this year either. Nobody wants Covid Cookies! My daughter said maybe don’t call them that, but you get the gist of what I am saying. Although I have followed safety protocols, who knows all the ways this virus can be spread. Best to err on the side of caution.

If I bake them, somebody has to eat the cookies! I don’t know about you, but I put on a few extra pounds (that I didn’t need) at the beginning of Covid from all the extra cooking and baking that I was doing. In August, I worked hard to lose that weight and don’t need to put it all back on by eating a ton of Christmas cookies. My son probably won’t make it home for Christmas from Texas this year to eat his share of the cookies either.

So what is the answer???

It’s 2020 an everything has had to be reinvented in a new way to keep people safe. Instead of having a get together, I have decided to skip frosting sugar cookies and make just a few small batches of our other favorite varieties. My husband will be happy to do his part of the cookie consumption. I can also share with my daughter and send a few to my son in Texas (they will still be glad to eat their Mom’s home made Covid cookies, lol). Maybe I will even experiment and test out a few new recipes this year.

I might need to enlist a little help from some Christmas Elves in drinking the 5 bottles of gluhwein I have ready for action! Fa la la la la!

Holiday Chat

My favorites cookies are buttery shortbread and spicy gingerbread for eating, sugar cookies for decorating fun and my tasty cranberry orange biscotti is great with coffee. Everybody loves chocolate dipped pretzel rods and a must have is tons of homemade chex mix for our holiday snacking.

• Do you bake Christmas cookies?
• What are your favorite holiday treats?
• Will you still make them this year?
• What are some of your other favorite holiday traditions?

Happy Holidays Friends. Be Flexible this Year, Find Joy and Stay Safe!