Merry Christmas – and my Christmas baking (wish)list

I love everything about Christmas.  

The weather, the decorations, the stocking stuffing, the season-specific baking, and, above all, the celebration of Jesus humbling himself, becoming man in his most helpless state, a newborn baby.  Whether Dec. 25 is actually the day of his historical birth or not matters little – it’s an event that deserves the highest level of celebration, and this is when we celebrate it.  

Celebrate it I shall – I’m taking the week off blogging to do all the extra seasonal things like gingerbread baking, sugar cookie decorating, going to Christmas concerts, church services, drinking hot chocolate in slippers and pajamas with the kids, and generally focusing on the wonder of the season.  Christmas in all its festive splendor is always gone too quickly for my liking.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, and if you’re working on your Christmas baking now, here are alllll the things you need to add to your list.  I’ve already made (and eaten – oops) the Nanaimo Bars, Lemon Bars, and Shortbread, and the rest are (hopefully) happening this week, along with the rolling and cutting of shaped cookies, not a task I fancy, but the results and kid-excitement are worth it.  As much as I love Christmas baking, I have to admit that at this time of year there are so many great boxes of chocolates and salty snack mixes for the buying, I am more likely than any other time of year to skip the baking and pass the kids a chocolate kiss atop an Oreo.  Is that terrible?

I apologize for some of the pictures – they’re from old posts, but they’re still some of my absolute favourite recipes that I make all the time…maybe one day I’ll take some updated photos, but for now, just trust me – they’re good :)

Chocolate Pomegranate Bark

Cookies ‘n’ Cream Fudge

Classic Whipped Shortbread

Best Ever Nanaimo Bars

Homemade Peppermint Patties

Lemon Bars

Chocolate Toffee Magic Bars

Chocolate Ecstasy

Enjoy – see you next week, a few pounds heavier :)

xoxo