Christmas treats...

Everybody knows that once Thanksgiving is over, it's just a marathon of shopping, wrapping, decorating and partying until Christmas. Here it is only December 6 and my calendar for the month is already pretty full... Between trying to stay in contact with friends, finishing my Christmas shopping, wrapping presents when the husband isn't home, coordinating holiday parties with friends and family and... oh yeah...working...it's a miracle that my head is still on straight. And we don't even have kids yet. Oh the joys that await us in the future.

But, as I've mentioned in many a blog previously, one of my favorite things about life in general is cooking...and then enjoying the fruits of my labor. One of the events my husband's family does every year is a cookie swap at his aunt's house in New Hampshire. I remember as a kid my mother used to do cookie swaps with her friends before the holidays, and for anyone who hasn't done one before, you really should. It's a great way to get a variety of cookies and other sweet treats without spending hours upon hours baking. Depending on how far in advance the swap is scheduled in relation to Christmas, you can just freeze the cookies you receive until you need them and then you can impress friends, family and coworkers with these amazing arrays of holiday delights. The last two years, I've stuck to two Christmas cookie staples - the peanut blossom (those peanut butter cookies with Hershey kisses in the middle - I mean, who doesn't like those) and these cream cheese kiss cookies my mother always makes during the holidays and just happen to be my oldest brother's favorites. The cookie batter is molded around a Hershey kiss, baked and then the cookie is coated in powdered sugar. It's like a little snowball with a delightful surprise in the middle.

However, this year, I'm inspired to bring something different to the table...literally. In the past month or so, I've become a more avid Pinterest-er and have come across some pretty fabulous sounding recipes. One of the most recent ones I found immediately made it to my Christmas cookie swap list and they look SO easy and yet so adorable: Brownie Christmas trees. Adorable right? And so affordable. All you need is brownie mix, icing and candy canes. I'm in love.

The other recipe I plan on making, and I'm compromising between the ease of the brownie trees with a more arduous recipe, is buckeye balls. They're a family tradition for my family and a total crowd pleaser. For anyone who doesn't know what buckeye balls are, they're peanut butter and powdered sugar rolled into a ball and dipped in melted chocolate. Everyone likes peanut butter and chocolate. My brothers and I used to fight over these as kids. Nestled in festive little holiday-themed cups and they're suddenly the star of any Christmas cookie platter.

My mother and I are also partaking in yet another Christmas tradition of making almond sticks, otherwise known as Banket (baan-ket). The process takes two days because the filling and dough both have to be made the night before and then you actually assemble the pastry the next day. The recipe card is yellow with age, and shows its use through oil spots and the bleeding of my grandmother's scribbled handwriting, which is half the reason I make the pastry with my mom because I can barely decipher the instructions. It's one of my favorite traditions because I feel like it connects to my Dutch ancestors who made the same recipe years and years ago.

What are your favorite holiday traditions and how do they evolve as the years go on?