Cookies!

My fondest Christmas memories have to do with making cookies. Our family always made big tins of cookies to give to everyone from the mailman, to the neighbors to our teachers, to any guests that showed up at the door. The freezer started to fill with boxes of cookies soon after Halloween.

When Dave and I moved here we took advantage of Neil's three commercial baking ovens and generous counters in his "bakery". Every year we had over 50 adults and sugar crazed kids decorating cookies by the hundreds; tromping through the woods to cut their tree; and making wreaths. Many of the adults have passed. Most of the kids have families of their own and have moved away though we did have a couple years of third generation parties.

The "bakery" was remodeled into a bedroom for Neil when he could no longer climb the stairs to his room. This summer we thinned the Christmas tree stand. Forty loads of trees were trucked to the sawmill. Finding a Christmas tree has become very difficult. I do still make wreaths but it has been a couple of years since we have had children in the house to bake cookies.

Today more memories were made. Kerstin, Anna, Klara and Lupin came over to make Christmas cookies. While 4 year old, Anna carefully sprinkled each cookie - one-at-a-time - one-color-at-a-time - carefully capping the sprinkle container after each cookie - the four dogs made sure anything hitting the floor did not last long. Then it was time to decorate the baked cookies with frosting. The task proved to be a challenge for adults and Anna alike.

Baby Klara commandeered the spatula as a teething chew as mom lent a hand at decorating.So much for the spatula, Klara really wanted the frosting tube.

Klara did pass a milestone today. She stood alone by pulling herself up the coffee table. I was too covered with flour and dough to catch a picture. I also missed getting pictures of the dogs assisting with her afternoon snack. All four have very long tongues and quick aim for any food that missed the lips.

Yes, it was a day of fun, memories and hopefully the start of a tradition.