Sugar Highs

Growing up, one of the things I looked forward to each year around Christmastime was the cookie baking. My mom would whip up a big double batch of sugar cookies and we'd cut them into trees, angels, santas, stars, snowmen. Then while they baked and cooled, we'd dip pretzels in melted almond bark. Once that was done, it was time to frost and decorate the sugar cookies until they were so beautiful, I could barely stand it. I LOVED doing that each year. Of course, as we got older we added more complicated goodies into the mix, but the sugar cookies and pretzels were always the staple.

Now that I have my own girls, I have continued the tradition of baking with them, especially at Christmas. I invite over my mom, sister, mother-in-law and sister-in-law, as well as a few friends who are available. We bake and chat and dip and create. This past Saturday was the day this year. We made SO many yummy goodies that it's crazy.

We did sugar cookies, like always...

...and spritzes and little elf hats (plain bugles filled with almond bark and an M&M)...

...peanut butter star cookies, peanut butter cup cookies, dipped pretzels, pretzel rings filled with a melted Hug and an M&M, and oreo truffles-some plain, some mint.

I love seeing what master-pieces of art the girls create with their cookie. They are all the most beautiful things, but taste even better. Yum.

And the funniest part of the day? When the "men-folk" showed up later for dinner and saw the HUGE spread over every inch of counter and table that I have. If eyes could drool, their eyes were doing it. They went into an instant sugar high and stupor looking at all the goodies before them. They were like kids in a toy store, not knowing where to start first!