Holiday Baking

This is the first year in a long time that I am really excited about holiday baking.

I used to come home from college and bake with Mom and Al. I really looked forward to it. We would bake cookies and have Christmas music playing in the background. Usually the music consisted of Mom playing carols on the piano in the living room while we made sugar cookies or fudge or something sweet in the kitchen. Afterward Al and I would belt out some mixed handed piano carols. She always played the left hand and I always played the right hand. Our music got mixed reviews, but it was a tradition.

We were usually in a hurry to finish baking because Mom always volunteered us to play our violin and cello for church. We always had about 2 hours to learn the music and we were still usually tired from finals. It was like our LAST final exam... in front of God! The pressure!!!! It always went well though. People love stringed instruments on Christmas Eve. It doesn't matter how good you play...they just love the sound of the music. We enjoyed being a part of the church service together and it became a tradition.

The past few Christmases have been less "traditional" and I have missed it. The Christmas after Wyatt was born was sad because he was 11 weeks old on Christmas. I had been on maternity leave and I knew that I was going back to work right after Christmas and I was having a hard time thinking about leaving my beautiful baby with a sitter. I had a lot of mixed feelings that Christmas.

The next Christmas I was pregnant with the twins. I was hoping to have 2 little bundles of joy under the tree on Christmas day, but I had to wait! Jonah and Sam were born exactly 1 week after Christmas. I was ginormously uncomfortable and definitely not enjoying Christmas as much as I would have liked that year!

The next Christmas was tricky. The boys were too young to grasp the concept and were not really great listeners yet (as if they are now?!?!?) so we didn't even decorate that year. We were nervous that they would get into the ornaments and lights and get hurt. Actually that same year when we visited Grandma Kathie and Grandpa Bill's house, Wyatt bit into a Christmas light bulb on their tree and it broke in his mouth! They ended up taking their Christmas tree down the next day. We were all a little freaked out!

Then of course last Christmas I was pregnant for Shane. I was exhausted! Being pregnant with three kids 3 and under tires you out! The thought of decorating for Christmas and then having to take everything down a few weeks later was comical. John and I didn't even entertain the thought! Christmas baking required too much standing on my part and my legs couldn't take it. I did make some cookies, but it was a feeble attempt.

This Christmas is different. It is game-on for us this year. The kids understand the concept of Santa. They appreciate Christmas lights for their beauty and not their taste. They are already talking about a Christmas tree. They want to bake. They want to make Christmas projects. They want to see Santa. They want to make Christmas lists. They have been listening to Jingle Bells non-stop already this year. It is going to be a great Christmas!

One of the most exciting parts is starting Christmas traditions with my kids that they will look forward to each year. I got them each an Advent calendar that has a little toy figurine to open each day in December that is part of a Christmas scene. On Christmas day they will open the last piece and each of them will have a complete Christmas scene with Santa. I am hoping that we can repeat this each year and someday they can pass their Advent calendar down to their own kids...because it is a tradition!

We also started our holiday baking this weekend. The boys listened to Jingle bells on continuous repeat while we tried out a new baking craft. They were able to participate with hardly any help from me. It was great. Shane even watched (look for him in one of the pictures)! They put a big marshmallow on a popsicle stick, dipped it in melted chocolate, and then rolled it in sprinkles. It dried for about 10 minutes and then they sampled their creations! Very easy and fun! We used holiday sprinkles and milk chocolate, but you could use white or colored chocolate and add coconut or mixed chopped dried fruit. It has a lot of possibilities and we will repeating this one again next year for sure... because it's a tradition!