Giving and Receiving

The first couple of years I dreaded giving the usual plate of cookies for Christmas. For one, I'm not much of a baker, I'd rather cook. As a result, my cookies greatly resemble something a 4 year old makes which is never appetizing to eat. (I must admit though, having kids has given me a scapegoat for the lack of aesthetic appeal in my baking!) Having received many such plates of cookies myself, I know I am often tempted to throw them away except for the guilt I tend to feel. The kiddos eat them for me but I hate the idea that the effort I go to might cause someone else a similar dilemma. Thankfully I have discovered the joys of melted chocolate that seems to make all baking beautiful. For simplicity, Isaac and I dipped pretzel sticks in mint chocolate and added all sorts of sprinkles for a colorful flair. We had fun, it was easy and most of all I can hand them out without shame!




Isaac was rather keen on the clean up - I'm pretty sure he licked the sprinkle plate so well I need not worry about any waste!



I'm always amazed at the generosity of people during this time of year. There's a family about 15 mins from us that runs a Santa visit for 2 nights annually. They own horses and have plenty of land for parking and decorating. People are invited to come out with canned goods or donations for a particular charity they sponsor and in exchange they get to sit on Santa's knee, take a hay ride, drink hot chocolate and even roast their own smores. We were really surprised when Santa handed Keila a princess cup (how did that jolly old man know?) and some stamps to Isaac. I can't imagine the cost it takes to decorate let alone provide so much food. It was incredibly kind of them and we had a lovely time.




Keila ran up to Santa like she was greeting an old friend and gave him a hug. She has never cried on his lap even as a baby. You should have seen the look of adoration when he handed her a princess cup, "Pin-cess! I see pin-cess!" I have a feeling that cup will be with us for a LONG time.



Isaac is always more cautious with strangers, but he sure wasn't shy when Santa asked if there was anything from his basket he'd like to take home as a gift.