Around our house, we look forward to Christmas. Our favorites are many and we look forward to cookie baking each December. The wine cookies and the date-filled cookies recipes are part of a family tradition that has been passed down from my grandmother and very possibly my great-grandmother. For me it just wouldn’t be Christmas without them! Of course, we also enjoy the frosted cut-out sugar cookies! Throughout the year, I make batches of cookies, but typically they are oatmeal raisin, peanut butter or chocolate chip cookies. The best Christmas cookies bring joy to our whole family.

Wine, date-filled, and frosted cut-out cookies are extra special during the Christmas season. Usually the week before Christmas my sisters and I, plus our kids, gather together at Grandma’s home for the annual “Cookie Day”.

Prior to “Cookie Day”, all of us have also been busy baking other kinds of cookies: snowballs, peanut blossoms, gingerbread boys, pecan tarts, frosted brownie cookies, mincemeat, Martha Stewart’s butterscotch cookies, etc.

We bring our batches of homemade cookies to Grandma’s for the huge cookie exchange that follows after a few hours of decorating the cut-outs. We use many different colors of powdered sugar frosting and further embellish the cookies with sprinkles and colored sugars. Some decorated cookies are truly works of art!

When the last cookie has been decorated, we clean up the mess – sprinkles cover the table and of course, the mess also spills onto the floor! Then we set out all the batches of cookies everyone brought. We have more than enough cookies to assemble a yummy assortment in boxes for gift giving, for colleagues at work and for our homes. It’s tiring but, a tradition we value because we spend family time together.

Some of the most important things about Christmas is:

• The Christmas tree
• Shopping on Black Friday
• Spending time with your family
• Opening gifts
• Going to church

The best Christmas stories are fun to share with family and friends. The best Christmas presents, given and/or received, might include a new car, a clean bill of health, all the family together, a special vacation, a laptop computer, a big screen TV, the newest technological apparatus, even the wonder in a child’s eyes when they receive their favorite gifts!

I try to choose just the right gift that will bring joy to each person on my Christmas list. I try to think of gifts that are things that perhaps they wouldn’t buy for themselves, the practical as well as sometimes the extravagant! Something that surprises brings great pleasure! Most of us want to show the depth of our love tothe special people in our lives and choosing a present with them in mind is one way to demonstrate our love.

For many people, the most treasured gifts are from the hands of the giver. If you are on a tight budget, be creative with thoughtful, inexpensive gifts such as cookie mixes in a jar; homemade fudge, hand knit scarves, mittens, caps, salt clay ornaments, craft projects, photo calendars and mini-albums filled with pictures taken during the past year; gift containers filled with themed items.

Personally created libations deliver as much joy as store-bought libations. Too many times we equate love with how much money we spend, but the most important thing to keep in mind is to give (and receive) from our hearts. The very best Christmas gift is LOVE, and of course, the purest form of love is JESUS! LOVE was born at Christmas. Because God gave us the greatest gift of Jesus, we know the joy of giving to those we care for.

The best Christmas books keep everyone in the Christmas spirit. In these hard times, consider trying to keep Christmas gift-giving simpler. Trying some of these ideas will even be fun! Once you start, your own creativity and imagination will be unleashed and gift-giving might be less stressful and not too expensive!

Other inexpensive gift ideas include:
Individual packets of special coffee blends
A bottle of wine
A box of crackers and a small cutting board for cheese
A child’s portrait
A journal
A photo calendar with family pictures adding and the dates of everyone’s birthdays and anniversaries written in.

Select any kind of container, a basket, bag, bowl, or bin, and turn it into a gift basket, filled with treasures! For example, include a jar of favorite pasta sauce, box of whole wheat pasta, a bottle of Italian dressing, croutons, Parmesan cheese, a kitchen towel, spiced olive oil, Biscotti, etc. You have an instant Italian Pasta dinner in a bag! You can include as many items as you like. Some other ideas may include a popcorn bowl filled with popcorn, popcorn seasonings, candy, a DVD or gift certificate to a video store, and funny napkins. Once you start thinking of things you can put together, it is fun to give and fun to receive!

Whether I am writing out Christmas cards, finishing up sewing and knitting projects, baking cookies, or wrapping presents, listening to my variety of Christmas albums and CDs, is just what I need to stay calm, peaceful and focused on my tasks. Christmas time can be a very busy time and stress can make a person come unglued, but music diffuses the tenseness, especially when I hear songs that remind me what Christmas is REALLY all about!

Here’s five examples of what you can get!

Grapefruit and Blood Orange Terrine with marmalade Ice Cream
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Pie with Maple Syrup and Pecan Ice Cream
Buttermilk Pannacotta with Mango Blackberry Compote
Hot Chocolate Fondant with Malt Ice Cream

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Gordon Ramsay Recipes