One last holiday post, just in the nick of time for February

Every year since my birth in 1978 I have visited Niagara Falls, NY for Christmas.  That's right- I've never, ever spent Christmas anywhere else.  My extended family lives there, we stay with my wonderful grandparents and just have a wholesome, fun time full of family love ever time.  I've frequently contemplated what I would do if I started a job that wouldn't allow me to take time off around Christmas. After much thought, the verdict is that I simply cannot take a position where this would be an issue.  Now there's problem-solving for you:)

I love Christmas.  For years my anxiety dreams did not consist of showing up to school naked, or taking exams without having come to class the whole year, like many normal people I know.  No, my anxiety dreams were all the same: it was Christmas, and I'd forgotten to watch all of my favorite Christmas movies, and how in the name of god was I going to watch 10+ Christmas movies before Christmas was over???  Simply not enough hours in the day!  You may think this was a December, maybe November-only nightmare.  No, folks- year round.  Really.  Since I've been married, I think that the Christmas fever has been tempered a bit and I don't remember the last time I had the dream (and not for any lack of stress...) but the bottom line is that I love Christmas and just about all things Christmas-related.  So, when my Grandmere asked me to bake some cut-out Christmas cookies before we came to N.F. this year, I was happy to oblige.  I made them on a beautiful snowy morning, which really added to the Christmas cheer!  

This was the second year that I've made the cookies myself, following all of my childhood years when my mom would make them and I would be assigned the task of decoration.  When I was relegated to decoration only, I took sincere pride in my work, taking the time to decorate each cookie individually, using all the different types of sprinkles and adornments I could find to create a unique vision.  The snowmen got blue or green or brown eyes, colored top hats, perhaps a shirt and pants.  Trees got colored lights, a star on top, loops of garland.  This took a little while since my mom tended to bake several dozen cookies.  A little OCD if I don't say so myself (we're really getting a peak into my psyche today, aren't we?  Yikes!  No one to blame but myself though...)  The good or bad news (depending on whether you value beautiful cookies over good mental hygiene or vice versa) is that I've now stream-lined my decorating technique.  You can check out the end product below.  And now, I think I'm ready to move on beyond December.  Phew!:)