4th Annual Blog Cookie Exchange

I’m taking part in Susie’s 4th Annual Blog Cookie Exchange today. Luckily, there are no rules –just suggestions– because if there were rules I’d be apt to break them. In fact, know now that the name is a misnomer when it comes to me: this is my first year to participate and I have no cookies to exchange.

Wait!! Please don’t leave… I just bought a bottle of egg nog (the spiked kind) for SuperDad to give at his office party, but I can always buy another tomorrow if I need to. And I’m told I make awesome margaritas. I’ll put on a fresh pot of coffee for you. Please make yourself at home while I unload the car. (I just got back from Target, Kohl’s, and Costco.)

There, that’s better. Sorry, we’re rather informal here. With 4 boys, I’d rather focus on life than fancy foods and decorations.

Oh, see that picture above? That’s the official Christmas picture of the boys. We aren’t all into matching outfits – I guess you can tell?

Traditions:

When the kids were smaller, younger, and more compliant, I made a birthday cake and we would sing happy birthday to Jesus. A few years ago, I asked what traditions they loved and which ones they didn’t care about. Driving around looking at Christmas lights was a resounding success, but the birthday party went away. Sorta. I now bake breakfast breads (cranberry orange, anyone?) and a wonderful German Stollen (dry and PERFECT with coffee). Bread is almost like cake, isn’t it?

For the 4 Sundays before Christmas, we light an Advent candle. Last Sunday was the pink candle. On Christmas morning, we will have this wreath (sans the African violet) as our centerpiece on the table, and in the center of the wreath will be a white “Christ candle.” We will re-light each of the Advent candles, in order, and then the white Christ candle. And since they won’t let me make a birthday cake for baby Jesus, we’ll have to sing happy birthday with the Advent candle!

The kids get their stockings when they wake up (and there will be a granola bar, a tangerine, and perhaps a bit of chocolate inside to ruin their appetites tide them over until breakfast. But there is no present-under-the-tree opening until after breakfast and the singing of happy birthday. Gotta remember whose birthday it is, after all!
Well… everyone does get to open one gift on Christmas Eve. When I was a kid, it had to be a gift from a grandparent. Our rules now are less stringent, so the kids get to choose which gift they want to open. (Which means sometimes I keep gifts hidden until later!)

da tree, assembled and decorated by boys

This year, one of my favorite gifts to give will be these mugs by my potter friend (and facebook cousin) Gary

gift mugs

Gary also made this lovely pig ornament:

piggy ornament

Don we now our gay apparel…

I’d post a picture of my “let it snow” pajamas, but they are all wrinkled and in the hamper. I’m not taking a picture of THAT!!

I’ll be making the Par-Tay rounds so let me know if you stopped by in my absence. Help yourself to the German cookies that I stashed on the top shelf in the cupboard!