Every winter, I’m obsessed with staying warm so adding sweaters to my cookies was a natural complement to the layers I was wearing myself when I made these Christmas goodies. Sweaters, hats, scarves...every cookie (even the alpaca) had to have at least one cozy item of apparel. The cats were the least successful but I refuse to take the blame for that. Like real cats, the cookie cats refused to cooperate.

“All creatures great and small...
the Lord God made them all.” Cecil F. Alexander

Today is the twelfth day of Christmas. All the decorations will soon be tucked away until next Christmas. White Christmas Tree Cookies are a yummy treat to munch on while we take down the tree, write thank you notes, and eat turkey soup made from the leftover Christmas “beast.” It’s time to ponder the memories we’ve made and all the lives we’ve touched during the past several weeks. Let’s also lift a mug of hot cocoa to the new year. May it be filled with joy and may our hopes be realized beyond our wildest expectations.

I have a friend who used to sew matching pajamas for herself, her husband, and their 3 kids every Christmas. The fabric was usually flannel and covered with Santas, snowmen, reindeer and other Christmas-themed designs. I’m fairly certain that no one in my family would have wanted matching pajamas so I didn’t even think of going there. But I always thought that was a fun idea. In my own way, I adopted her tradition, but for me it was Christmas slippers. Every year I buy a new pair of holiday slippers.