Homemade Christmas

This year we're not doing a lot for anyone for Christmas, mainly because everything is so expensive and NG has way too many family members for us to buy for. So this year, I'm making everyone's presents.

For starters, the grandparents (mine and NG's parents) will be getting homemade Christmas ornaments. Nothing fancy, just the applesauce-and-cinnamon recipe used by kindergartens across the country. I found some cute mini cookie cutters at the store and used those. There's also a set for our "couple friends", dear friends of ours who have kept us company on many evenings and fed us many dinners in return for fresh baked desserts. Oh, how I love our pals! Anyway, there's a set for them, a set for my old college roommate's son (who we will probably see tonight), a gingerbread couple for NG's grandparents, a set for us to put up for Sweet'ums, and two gingerbread girls and a boy that I intend to use as gift tags on the gifts I'm making for our siblings.

For NG's youngest sisters and my brother I'm making hot chocolate mix and cookies. I got three plastic trays and six holiday mugs at Walmart and some little half-pint Mason jars. I made up some hot chocolate mix and filled the mason jars with mix and marshmallows. I still have to go get some cellophane and ribbon for wrapping and decorating, but I plan to put two mugs per sibling on a tray with the mix and an assortment of homemade cookies (to be made tomorrow) for their enjoyment. If they should decide to share (and I'm sure they will, they've all got a boyfriend/girlfriend) there should be plenty to go around. I'm going to try to make sure there's enough cookies left for NG's oldest sister and her husband and son, but if not I'll at least set some aside for her son. After all, she's a mom. All moms know that there's not always enough cash to go around when it comes to extended family and Christmas gifts. I'll at least make sure her son gets some.

So for the cookies, here's what we have in mind. Mom's No-bake cookies (a wonderful oatmeal, chocolate, and peanut butter cookie), candy cane cookies, sugar cookies, and peanut butter kiss cookies. We're also keeping some cookies aside to send to my friend who is in the Army. She's stateside still, but she's away from her family for the holidays and we wanted to send her a little bit of love.

So how does that sound? We're busy right now trying to get things finished, but it's all going well.

Oh, and good news! I finished piecing the main part of the front of Sweet'ums' quilt together. Yay!