If only it were this easy...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas

Christmas Decorations

Dinning room decorated (sorry for the bad picture quality- camera phone)

 For the record I love Christmas. It's easily my favorite time of the year, I love the snow, the cold weather, ugly Christmas sweaters, Christmas music... I just love Christmas. But it never really feels like Christmas to me until I come home and my parent's house is decorated. The DG really missed her calling she would make an amazing interior designer. She usually puts up three trees, the main one in the family room, one in the basement and my favorite in the foyer.

Foyer tree. 

 However HT sister's cats, Fred and Barney or as the DG affectionately calls them "the boys" or "the herd" have been reeking havoc on the DG beautiful Christmas decorations.  This morning I caught Fred trying to climb. Yes like actually climb up our main Christmas tree. Yesterday he was playing with an ornament and then when I woke up I found another broken glass ornament in the foyer. Don't even get me started on the packing peanuts Barney found....

Family.

It's tradition on the DG side on the Saturday before Christmas the entire family (that includes the DG's 4 sisters plus kids, husbands and more recently kid's significant others) to go over to my Grandmother's house in Maryland and have "Grammy's Christmas". Now both of my parents have pretty large extended families, but the DG's is how would you say... more vocal? Maybe it's cause I am older and we (the cousins) are a lot bigger but Grammy's house isn't as large as I once thought it was. Add all the people, the small space and lots... and I mean lots of alcohol and you got a pretty interesting situation.

Not kidding about the alcohol part. Taking shots in the kitchen.

Actually it's more than an interesting situation...its the type of situation that makes reality tv shows. Anyways we go all out. We have a Chinese gift exchange for the adults, the cousins all draw names out of a hat and do a gift exchange, the sisters all exchange gifts, Grammy opens her presents and then finally one of the son-in-laws dress up as Santa and makes a surprise visit and passes out a gift for the younger kids.  It's a tradition that has been going on since me and my cousin R, the oldest out of all the grand kids have been babies. In fact this year we got a cd of all the videos the parents had collected over the years of the various events. After last year's Christmas on the ride home I was talking to the DG and suggested the idea of making t-shirts as a joke. The DG loved it and we planned to make tshirts and pass them out a full year before the event. Who does that? Well we do that's who. Bright red shirts with a giant picture of my Grandmother's mug blown up on the front and everybody's names on the back. Anyways when the DG and I broke them out at Grammy's she cried. She shed tears. I don't think she got it was a joke.

The mass chaos

Trying to get together and take a picture

Finally success. The Family.

Christmas Cookies

You know it's serious when I put on the apron

So with Christmas comes my favorite... Christmas cookies! Last year the Domestic Goddess was teaching full time and Hotty Toddy sister was still in high school so I was left with a mile long to do list which of course included baking. Now this year DG and HTS have retired/ came back from college so we all enjoyed a day of baking together.  We got a good variety this year, all different types of cookies but my favorite by far was the Peppermint Munchies. Now I must admit I am a sucker for anything peppermint (see peppermint mocha.)

 First you have to make the peppermint filling and then refrigerate it for 30 minutes while you make the actual cookie.

Then you put a little dab of the peppermint filling in the cookie and roll it into a little ball. Finally you take a glass, sugar coat the bottom and press it down.

Now ready for the oven

So in case your interested here is the recipe, now I would post a picture of the finished project but they didn't last very long.

Peppermint Munchies

3/4 cup butter softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

1 tablespoon milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

Peppermint Filling: combine one 3 ounce package softened cream cheese, 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candies, and 1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until smooth 

1. Prepare peppermint filling, cover and chill for 30 mins

2. Preheat oven 375 F. In a bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 second. Add sugar and baking powder. Beat until combined, scraping bowl.  Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in the remaining flour. 

3. Shape dough into 1 1/4- inch balls. Make an indentation in the center of each ball; place 1/2 teaspoon  of the peppermint filling in each indentation. Shape dough around filling to enclose; roll dough in hands until smooth. Dip the bottom of a glass in coarse sugar; flatten balls into 1/2 inch thick. Bake for 9 to 12 minutes or until golden brown

Each morning when I open my eyes I say to myself; I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn’t arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I’m going to be happy in it.

~Groucho Marx

Love.