Christmas Cookies Like Grandma Made

 

Baking cookies can be a messy and time consuming activity. By making them ahead of time and stashing them in the freezer, you will avoid the stress of trying to fit "one more thing" into those hectic days right before Christmas and you will have more time to enjoy creating delicious tasting and visually appealing treats.

While it is OK to add one or two of your everyday favorites to your Christmas cookie plates, they should not be allowed to dominate. Remember these are CHRISTMAS cookies. They are special once a year delicacies. A plate of Christmas cookies should be a work of art, colorful and varied in size and shape. A plate of six different flavors of round, flat cookies is not a plate of Christmas cookies. And while colorfully frosted sugar cookie cut-outs will do in a pinch, they also leave much to be desired.

Here are just a few of the recipes my grandma used to make each year. Now that she is gone, I bake them with my children. Most of them are pretty easy to make and all of them are approved by four generations of family members and friends. If you make all of these recipes, your cookie plates will be coveted by everyone who knows you. And that's good, because you will have a ton of extras to give away. 

Russian Tea Cakes 

Teatime Toffees

Cathedral Windows

Molasses Spice Cookies

Candy Cane Cookies

Thumbprints 

Carmelita Bars

What's your favorite Christmas cookie?

Childhood Griefs and Comforts

Yesterday we found my four-year-old's cat dead in the road. After her initial grief has abated, she began to worry about the kittens. Who would feed them? Who would protect them?

I assured her that the kittens would be fine. They are old enough now to be on their own, which is why we have been trying to find new homes for them. But she was still worried, especially about Cherry Dumplin', the kitten we had told her she could keep as a substitute.

As we were putting things away and closing the house up for the night, I noticed my oldest son carrying a wooden box out to the back of the house. He had spent the afternoon building his sister a cat house out of scrap lumber. She was absolutely thrilled.

Someday she may appreciate the fact that she has brothers who protect and care for her. But for now, she is content knowing her kittens are safe.

Local Flavor, Mountain Style

Civil War doctor's kit

Ever since our house sold, the children and I have been taking photographs of our hometown in anticipation of our move to Michigan. We plan to use these to create a special notebook for the children to look through when they are homesick. We even took pictures of the local Food Lion because it's my three-year-old's favorite "restaurant."

A small part of the arrowhead collection

We've also been photographing some of the fun places nearby that we don't usually take time to visit. Last month, we made a trip to a boot shop in a neighboring town which is home to a small, private museum. The owner has a huge collection of artifacts, newspaper clippings, and photographs. There are cases full of Indian arrowheads, Civil War bullets, pioneer items, and some more unusual items. The kids had a great time and made even more wonderful memories to carry with them. 

A few of the many antique tools

And the most memorable items in the collection . . . The stuffed calves

Friendly Strangers Are Dangerous Too!

My online blogger friend, Jimmie, recently posted a blog entry on how to deal with unwanted attention that foreign children receive in China. Her advice got me thinking about similar issues we have been dealing with here in America.

Our children are very friendly and outgoing. In the past, we taught them to respect adults and to always answer when you are spoken to, but recently we have had to rethink things.

There are many times when complete strangers will engage my children in conversation, offer them candy (while I'm standing there and without asking me first), ask them for hugs, or even ask them if they want to go home with them!!!! And my children don't think twice about who this person is. As the saying goes, "They've never met a stranger." Yet, while these people may be well meaning (even if they are rather thoughtless), not everyone has good intentions. Not all adults are worthy of respect.

I've seen that my reaction to these incidents has given my children the wrong idea. By smiling at these "friendly" strangers, I've taught my children that it is OK to take things from strangers, to let them touch you, even to go with them if they want to take you somewhere. I ought to be reacting with indignation. After all, this person just threatened to kidnap my child!!!

We need to be teaching our children to set boundaries. We need to tell them it's OK to avoid uncomfortable situations. Although our goal should be to be polite, if possible, sometime situations call for a bit of rudeness. The safety of our children is worth a few hurt feelings.