Favorite Christmas Traditions

Ever since I was a little girl with blonde pigtails there has been a Thomas tradition at Christmas time! From the time I was big enough to lick the beaters I've been involved in this tradition -- cookie making

When I was younger my mom and I would go down to Granny's on a Friday about two weeks before Christmas to start the yearly task. Generally it was Granny, Mom, (ex-Aunt) Kiki and I! We'd all bustle around the mid-size kitchen beating batter, rolling buckeyes, measuring ingredients, tasting cookies, boiling the mix-in's for fudge and removing cookies from the oven. . . it was like an assembly line! I was usually stuck smooshing the ingredients for buckeyes and then rolling them out. Yeah, it was a great job for a little kid; however, I've passed this task along to the boys, because my carpal tunnel just cannot handle it!

I have always enjoyed this tradition. I was with ones I loved and making cookies! C'mon, how could you NOT enjoy this task? Unless you make chocolate chip cookies on a regular basis, the smell of sugar, cocoa, butter, flour and vanilla all mixed together is heavenly mouth watering!

For the past 15 or so years, this tradition has not happened; however, the goodies are always still made, just sans Granny. We've all done it our own may, with me doing a majority of the baking (unless you count the totally awesome Chex mix my Daddy makes). I think Granny has enjoyed all the goodies without having to do the work (who wouldn't right). I've made more than the Thomas Tradition of chocolate chip cookies, fudge, potato candy, buckeyes and peanut butter blossoms! I've branched out into things like chocolate covered pretzels, sugar cookies, haystacks, Reindeer poop, Cheerio crunchies, etc. Ya know what? I LOVE it!

My boys have helped make cookies too! It's a great time for family! Yes, I have to be more cautious around them, but Granny and Mom did with me. Yes, there have been flops. . .but then, there have been things that haven't lasted long too!

I think my favorite memory thus far of any sort of kitchen makings was the first (and only time thus far) that we made a ginger bread house. It was a great family time, minus the baking! Thomas was 2.5 and LJ was 5.5. . . Every time I turned around Thomas was stealing a gum drop from the house and LJ was squirting icing all over the place, and there was laughter all around! We labeled the house "The Ghetto House". Sure, it was not a pretty house, but it was FUN!So, although I will continue the cookie tradition, with help, I think we'll start a new one for ginger bread houses. . .who knows, maybe we'll get really good and do a princess castle?