Christmas Time

We are definitely in full Christmas mode around here.  Most of my gifts are complete.  I have one last gift left to purchase and just a few more to wrap then I'm done.  What a relief.  Our Christmas traditions are well under way.

One of the traditions I brought with me, and Ryan gladly embraced, is making Cherry Candy Crackles.  They are my favorite Christmas cookie.  We joke about Christmas not coming until we make them.  Sure enough every year they get made.  Some years they may be the only cookie we ever get around to making.  They are a lot of work, but so worth it.

Every year I dig out the candy thermometer to use.  These cookies are the only reason I even own a candy thermometer.

My dad hand chops the cherries and mixes the dough by hand.  I cheat and use a food processor and mixer.

Yummy pink goodness.  It gets chilled overnight before it can be rolled into balls and baked.  I usually stick it outside or in the garage.  It works just as well.

These cookies go fast.

 As soon as I saw it, I had no trouble picking out Aric's ornament this year.  Aric loves dinosaurs.  He likes to watch TV shows and movies about them, play with them and he is quite knowledgeable about their names.



I had a bit more trouble deciding on an ornament for Kellyn.  I was looking for something to encompass her likes of: babies, princesses, dress-up, butterflies, Mickey Mouse, penguins, elephants, puppies, horses, and cars.  Since that ornament was a bit hard to come by I let Kellyn pick out her own ornament.  She was quite fond of this elephant. 

I didn't really decorate our basement much for Christmas.  I did, however, put up a small three foot Christmas tree on top of our cat scratching post.  Classy, I know.  It it our White House Christmas tree.  I wonder how many people googling that phrase will end up here.  I have eight years worth of White House Christmas ornaments given to us by my parents.  It is fun to pull them out each year and compare them.  I look forward to the new ornament every year.

I haven't ever purchased a nativity set.  I'm still looking for that one special set, the one I will know when I see it.  Last year Kellyn was given a nativity set. 

Kellyn frequently sits in front of it playing with the people and animals.  She thinks the angel is a butterfly.  Aric on the other hand likes to mess with it and change out which character is standing on top of the barn. Mary was up there one day.

This Christmas we have been intentional about explaining to the kids the meaning of Christmas and why we give gifts.  I asked my parents to pass along a manger that we used as kids.

When the kids do a good deed or a task without complaining they get to put a piece of straw in the manger.  The manger gets filled and on Christmas morning baby Jesus is placed in the manger.  It is a good way to remind the kids daily of the reason for Christmas.

And this one is still making an appearance around the house every day:



Some days I feel like I'm racking my brain trying to find a new place to put him.