CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

When it comes to Christmas traditions, most families either have them or wish for them.

When I got married, I fell into the 'wish for them' category. I longed for a 'story book' Christmas with a lovely tree surrounded by a happy family, singing Christmas carols, eating Christmas cookies and drinking hot apple cider or hot chocolate.

That longing was the driving force behind making sure my children grew up with Christmas traditions: activities they could count on happening from year to year. Sights, sounds, and smells that they would associate with Christmas and family.

No matter which category you belong in, I want to share some of the traditions we have developed over the years. Feel free to share your traditions in the comments.

Creative Cookie Exchange: Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies

My contribution to the Creative Cookie Exchange challenge for freezer cookies is Pumpkin Cranberry Cookies.  This is a favorite cookie of my daughter.  I added the fresh cranberries and it turned this cake-like cookie into a delightful sweet/tart cookie.

Family Favorites Friday: Cranberry Christmas, Cranberry Thanksgiving, and Cranberry Bread

Recently, while looking through my recipe cards  to find recipes to make and freeze, I ran across a recipe for Cranberry Bread.  It reminded me of one of our favorite books, Cranberry Christmas.  I thought the recipe came from the book, but further research revealed that it probably came from a different book by the same author (Wende Devlin), Cranberry Thanksgiving.