Joyful Expressions

So, it's Christmas Eve. But it doesn't seem like it. Normally at this hour (1am) we are ALL baking goodies for the next couple of days. Some of our 'traditional' goodies include: puppy chow, homemade peanut butter fudge, peanut butter blossoms w/kisses in the middle, coconut kisses, thumbprint cookies. Gosh, there are a TON more that I can't think of right now. We bake these treats up & share them over the next week or so. They usually last until after New Year's. We take the goodies to parties (we usually have at least three or more) & share them with neighbors & coworkers. But it hasn't been the same this year. OH-- a few more are homemade chex mix & peppermint cake. Can anybody guess how I got to be a nice round 200 & growing pounds????

The cookies & cakes aren't really the best part anyways. The most fun is when we get dilerious (sp) because it's late and we start telling silly stories from the past. Like the year my dad burnt the ham. Another time the oven stopped working in the middle of our turkey baking & the guys swapped it out with an extra we had in the shop. We have over cooked the fudge so its not the wonderful creamy consistency. And many more baking stories. These probably sound really dumb right now but IF I was a good story teller I would have you rolling around on the floor at our crazy antics & happenings.

Now you know one of our traditions is baking. Another one is ornament exchange. To many people ornaments are just something you put on the tree. To our family it means much more. On my tree I have many homemade ornaments that my family has made over the years.

Some are ceramic from when I was a small child & my Aunt & Uncle were in that business. Some are ones that have been made at school...my fav is one of my youngest brother Jacob the year he went to school. It was also the year I left for MC's so it brings back lots of memories. My parents also made homemade wooden ones for several years. Anyways I can look back at the dates on them & remember special momentos from the past. Each year we exchange ornaments. When you get married you get to take your ornaments with you for your own tree.

Well I am getting tired & hungry (AGAIN) so I am off to bed to get some rest & avoid the 'cookie jar'. Hope that you each have a special Christmas with your family & friends. God Bless!