Looks like Santa likes the cookies too.
Oh hi! Seems like I took a little bit of a blogging vacation. It was much needed time away from the computer and social media (mostly) and time with family and friends. One of my favorite ways to spend time with friends and family over the holidays involves Christmas cookies. Lots of Christmas cookies.
We have this annual cookie extravaganza thing. It started off as a chance for me, my sister and our two cousins to get together to celebrate Christmas. We would bake a huge assortment of cookies, make dinner and exchange presents.
Decorating has always been the best part but it’s serious business – multicolored frosting, sprinkles and colored sugar. My sister would spend hours at the table decorating. One year, our cookies were decorated in honor of the Yankees after winning the World Series. Another year, she recreated Old Master paintings alongside Marge, Homer and Bart Simpson.
As our family has grown and changed, so has Christmas cookie day. It’s grown to include more friends and family. We no longer spend hours baking a large variety of cookies (that’s done beforehand by one of my cousins). We pre-bake sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies so that they are ready for the kids to decorate right away. The kids are getting really good at decorating and I think that my sister is getting a little jealous.
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday too! I’ll be back to a more regular blogging schedule next week.
What’s your favorite Christmas or holiday treat?
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What a great tradition! So much fun to see the kids getting so involved with the cookie decorating. Great pictures! I don’t usually bake cookies, but my new holiday tradition (baking-wise) will be my vegan pumpkin pie.
Debbie @ Live from La Quinta recently posted..Getting Psyched for 2013 (and a Giveaway to Get You Psyched Too!)
Such great photos!! I love gingerbread men, but we didn’t make them this year. Going to have to make sure we do next year since I’m jealous of all your decorating fun
Jen recently posted..Class Review: RELAX Download by Tara Stiles
I remember doing these with my mom! We made SUCH a mess.
Laura @ Sprint 2 the Table recently posted..Strange But Good Holidays
I looked everywhere for gingerbread man cutouts but was too late! Your day looks like so much fun. My favorite Christmas treat is apple pie
Kareen recently posted..Merry Christmas!
Such cute pictures! You’ve got some serious cookie decorating talent in your family. Nice work. I look forward to baking any kind of cookie during Christmas. It puts me in the spirit and of course you have to have some for Santa! Glad you had a great time uplugged!
Angela @ Happy Fit Mama recently posted..It Starts With Food Review
The kids are getting really good at the decorating! I love seeing what they come up with. I’m intimidated to decorate with them now
Prettiest Christmas cookies I ever saw. Ours weren’t nearly as gorgeous, but we still had good fun! Happy you’ll be back to regular blogging. I’ve missed you in my in box!
Martha @ Running in Mommyland recently posted..Diabetic. Duh!
Thanks my friend. I missed being around and playing with my social media friends but I definitely appreciated the break too. xox
is it wrong that i spy red wine first? LOL!
i love how you think. More time to decorate and be with family then actually baking. BRILLIANT!
lindsay recently posted..Thursday Things: Workout and New Vocabulary
haha. I know. We needed to wine to get the creative juices flowing!
Haha cookies…and wine….makes for more creative cookies!
Kat recently posted..My back is going to be so happy!
Yes it does
Decoarting is so much fun, especially with all the neat decorations you can find these days. We always include some sugar cookies to decorate in our annual bake-a-thon.
Coco recently posted..Tart And Tangy Sugared Cranberries
So much fun. My sister and I used to do an annual cookie day and package them all up to hand out to family and friends. We’ve not been able to do it the last 2 years, but she did take her kids to our dad’s house so they could decorate cookies with our step-mother. She said they had a blast.
I love Christmas and all the family tradition that surrounds the holiday!
I love baking, creating, crafts, memory making and more 
Rachel @RunningRachel recently posted..Checking Out Spotivate For Personalized Family Fun
Wow, that looks so much fun!! I would eat all the icing!
Sara @ fitcupcaker recently posted..Power Balls!
looks like such fun! i miss making cutout cookies with my mom!
Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean recently posted..Lentil Banana Muffins
haha. Next time you’ll have to come over! I have a feeling you have some mad decorating skills
That looks yummy! What a fun time
We were invited to decorate cookies at our neighbors this year and it was a great time to get to know one another. My favorite holiday treats are sugar cookies like the ones you made above. Next year I want to return the favor with our neighbors and have them decorate at our place. Happy New Year!
Steph @ Be Positive Mom recently posted..It’s a wrap for 2012!
That’s a great way to celebrate with neighbors. Friends of ours also had a cocktails and cookies party – cocktails for the parents and cookie decorating for the kids! Happy New Year to you too!
SO CUTE I DIE!!!! Your boys kill me, and those cookies look delicious! Hungry again, thank you very much!
maria @ lift love life recently posted..Chik A FIl Copycat Spicy Chicken Sandwich
haha. That picture of Everett eating the cookie kills me. He was so excited that he could eat it. He’s allergic to eggs so usually doesn’t get to have many treats because Mommy forgets to make egg-free versions for him. Oops.
How pretty! Always makes me depressed how much prettier little kids make their cookies than mine come out!
Liana@RunToMunch recently posted..12 Fitness (but mostly running) moments of 2012
Such a fun time! I decorated cookies for the first time this year too and it was awesome. I miss holiday season already haha
Kammie @ Sensual appeal recently posted..New Years Resolutions with fitness & giveaway!
Looks like so much fun! I am regretting that I didn’t make Christmas cookies with my little man. We have cupcake parties sometimes, where we make and decorate cupcakes and he loves it!
Sylvia @ Frolic Through Life recently posted..Paleo 101
Looks and sounds like tons of fun! It’s a good idea to switch to baking the cookies ahead of time for the little ones. Enjoy the rest of your holiday break.
Carli recently posted..8 Ways to Detox Your Body
Thanks Carli!
Love the tradition! And it all looks delicious. Although I have to say the action shot of him taking a bite is even more scrumptious. So cute!
Tina @ Best Body Fitness recently posted..Scenes from the Year
We love our sugar cookie decorating too! This year, I couldn’t pry my boys away from their computer games to help out, so dear daughter and I did it all by ourselves. Can’t say that the new tradition wasn’t an improvement!
Christine, your photography is just beautiful! What type of camera are you using?
Tamara recently posted..#FatblasterFriday | Staircase Circuit Workout
Thanks Tamara. These photos were taken with a Nikon D40. I was really happy with how these came out but I still have so much to learn about using my DSLR.
This pictures make me want to make more cookies! We did our gingerbread cookies a couple of weeks ago, and those are long gone… but I think my body is ready to get back to some healthier eating next week. Aren’t blogging breaks nice? I love blogging, but I really savored time off this week. I wrote posts in advance, which is rare for me, and then we took a spontaneous trip to the hill country of TX yesterday and got back today… lovely to unplug like that!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast recently posted..The Power of Intentions – My 2013 Goals
Blogging breaks are great. I had plans for writing a stash of posts that I could use in the new year but alas, the cookies and family got the better of me. So great that you guys got to take a quick trip. Happy New Year Laura!
I love all the animal ornaments on your tree! So cute!
Becky @ RunFunDone recently posted..2012: A Look Back
This was our first year actually decorating cookies and it was awesome! I pretty much expected catastrophe, but was so pleased (and surprised) at how much the kids were into it! So much fun!
Michelle recently posted..Holiday Week Recap – 2012