The tradition continues!

Wednesday was our annual Cookie Day. This tradition began before I was married when I spent a day with my then future mother-in-law who taught me some of her favorite recipes. My second married Christmas season found me doing cookie day alone since Katherine had passed away that year, way too young. I have continued making two of her recipes ever since. This was my daughter's 45th year of cookies (sorry Susan for the number) - well, the first two she sat and watched, just as all my grandchildren have done. This year, my daughter Susan, my daughter-in-law Jessica and I were assisted by Abigail, Josh and Bella. It was Bella's first Cookie Day and she became an excellent smasher of peanut butter cookies, with instruction from Abigail.

We've settled on five main cookie recipes, but we make many, many of all of them. The day begins around 8:30 and continues til we are finished - this year it was 12 hours by the time we cleaned up and packed cookies. Here's the morning's first round, which included peanut butter cookies, two kinds of chocolate chips (dark and white chocolate), and Katherine's riscottas.

Then we moved on to do sugar cookies and jelly roll cookies (another handed-down favorite) and Jessica made her peanut candy.

Here are our helpers, Abigail, Bella and Josh celebrating their success and ready to eat COOKIES. All the children  love Cookie Day because all dietary limits are set aside, as you can see from Bella sampling her mom's peanut candy.

As you can tell, this is a wonderful and important day for me. It's so nice to spend time with family, making yummy goodies and carrying on the tradition. Cookie Day adds to the specialness of the Christmas season and gives us gifts to share with others.

Now I have to get to work. I have gatherer's bags in progress and fabric and socks ice dyeing (some are gifts). More later.

What special tradition do you cherish? Karen