holiday lists

November 19th, 2010

I’m starting mine: cookies, cards, menus, gifts. I plan on making (and doing) much less this year than I have in the past, but somehow my lists are long anyway. There are always so many new cookies I want to make:

  • I’ve always wanted to try these christmas rainbow cookies.
  • these pistachio sandwich cookies look like a royal pain in the ass to make, but they also look freakin delicious.
  • I think super crispy gingerbread men sandwiched together with chocolate ganache would be good, do you think?
  • alfajores are definitely on the list this year (looks like sandwich cookies are the theme this year)
  • I’ve never made lebekuchen, but I do love it.
  • these mexican hot chocolate cookies look simple and really good.
  • I could go on and on

Martha somehow roped me in to buying another one of her christmas cookies magazines. And now the list is even longer and it might even have “make cookies that look like little mice” on it. Shesh. This is sort of why I shy away from making lists–I know there are so many of you out there that love them.  Mine start out small (laundry, post office) and then quickly get grandiose and undoable (paint the house, rip out kitchen counter). And then when only a few things get crossed off the list I feel awful and lazy and guilty (and, oddly, like the list is watching me).

Enough of my guilt ridden midwesterness. I thought I’d share a few simple ideas from the archives for the holidays. The picture is from a few years ago when I realized I didn’t have any thanksgiving decorations, so I slapped together this project. Two years later I still don’t have any thanksgiving decorations and clementines on the mantel have become a little tradition.

English toffee is always the first christmasy thing I make every year: it freezes well and travel well and little nibbles sustain me through the season. You can find my recipe and tutorial here.

There is time to sew up this advent calendar before December 1st. Really, there is. I think it looks more complicated than it is: there is some simple machine sewing and then a movies worth of hand sewing.  The pattern and tutorial for the string of lights advent calendar is right here. We had an activity in each bulb last year and the kids and I loved it. I put the slip of paper in the night before, so a big project didn’t sneak up on me and because I’m last minute like that.

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And hey! you guys are awesome! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to fill out my silly little survey. It was super helpful and makes me want to create more surveys so I can get to know you better. The consensus seemed to be you like the little blog just how it is, but wouldn’t mind if I change it up a bit: ads are ok, a recipe or two (if they are good), and more kid’s crafts, food, tutorials, and sewing!  Thanks to the commenter who said, “no pressure or anything!”  And thank you, everyone, for all the kind words. It was unexpected and so incredibly wonderful.

Posted in christmas, holidays.

14 Responses to holiday lists

  1. Wendy says:

    Oh I’m glad to hear you had great feedback. You are making me dizzy tonight with your list! I love,love,love all the cookies that get made this time of year but I will have to settle for Fanny Farmer sugar cookies alone this year. I have way too many lists…maybe next year I will no longer be washing diapers and then I can bake more cookies with all that time saved..This year I will look forward to your posts and live vicariously through you! ;)

  2. monica says:

    oh don’t… don’t say the ‘C’ word. (Cookies, not Christmas…) I keep meaning to make some and the boys eat them so quickly when I do…

  3. MelanieO says:

    I really like the cookie dough idea in Martha’s December issue. She makes one dough (can be modified for flavor/color) and makes a whole bunch of different types of cookies with it. I might be taking that route for cookies this year.

  4. Islay says:

    I love the lists so much I have a whole section of my blog devoted to them… And my Christmas-making list is normally particularly ridiculous!

  5. Andreae says:

    You know, as soon as I’d read “pistachio sandwich cookies” and “royal pain in the ass to make,” I knew exactly which ones you meant. I’ve been planning to do these for years, too! Perhaps this is the year for pain-in-the-arse-pistachio-sandwich-cookie solidarity…

  6. Suzanne says:

    I like the lights advent calendar…never seen a project like that..adding it to my list!

  7. Anne Marie says:

    The english toffee looks delicious!

  8. heather says:

    i found this easy peasy recipe for dulce la leche and thought i would pass it along!!! cuz i don’t know about you bought i like anything easy! and it would be perfect for the sandwich cookies on your list!!!

  9. Lisa says:

    I’ve made the Mexican hot chocolate cookies and they are really good! Easy too.

  10. Wendy says:

    I bookmarked that Mexican Hot Chocolate cookie recipe too. I’m alllllll over those. I started working up my Christmas baking list last night and I’ve already got about 8 different recipes on there. I should probably start now.

  11. Helen says:

    Meg – speaking of toffee. I made this last year and will make it every years until they pry my cold, dead hands off the spatula. It’s that good. http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/12/coffee-toffee/
    I can’t recommend enough.

  12. Sandra says:

    Oh good…toffee! Thanks for the recipe. I’m visiting via the half eaten gingerbread man recipe but enjoying wandering around. Merry Christmas!

  13. Alessandra says:

    I am exactly the same with lists – and I get way too ambitious with projects. But that’s okay, we should think big! Keep up the great work.