Christmas Cookies

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In recent years, my favorite holiday activity has not been searching for gift ideas or even opening gifts on Christmas Day; it's been baking Christmas cookies. When I was back in Pittsburgh for school, we would pick a night in December before winter recess and get together with my roommate's mother for a cookie baking marathon. I'm talking the oven staying on for at least 5-6 hours and baking 11 varieties of cookie kind of marathon. All done while holiday music or a movie played in the background.

I plan on keeping this new tradition going this year. I'm beginning the search now for recipes to bake with my mother this year for a new batch of Christmas cookies. My plan is to bake a few varieties and put together some bags as stocking stuffers for the family and maybe even set aside some to take to Christmas dinner...if they can make it that far. :P

My favorite Christmas cookies are those that have peppermint in them. Last year, we made chocolate peppermint cookies that were absolutely to die for! Here are a few cookies that I have loved in the past and look forward to making again this year:

• Dark Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
• Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
• Classic Gingerbread
• Snowflake Shortbread
• Twix Cookies
• Italian Ricotta Cookies

<3 Ashley

What are your favorite types of Christmas cookies?

Holiday Checklist

The holiday season is busy—there's no denying it. It's easy to let our to-do list get away from us and all of a sudden Christmas Eve is upon us and we have so much to do and so little time. I'm trying desperately to keep it together this year and not get frazzled at the last minute. 

I am someone who creates list to keep herself in check. Heck, I think I once put "make grocery list" as a bullet on a to-do list. Can you tell what kind of person I am yet? So lists will also be the crux of my holiday planning and execution. From the gift budget, people's wish lists, Christmas card lists, and recipe lists my holiday is looking like an organized one.

But I don't stop at just one list. No, that would be the human thing to do. I have lists in my phone, on my computer, on a pad of paper, on index cards in my bag, and in my planner. It may be a bit overboard; but you know...it gets the job done. My Christmas cards went out in the mail today to everyone on the list. No stragglers. No one to remember later. I got them all!

Next stop is the shopping. This year's shopping list is actually fantastic because I know EXACTLY what I'm getting everyone. I know where am going for these items too. How did I become this beta version of the person I was last year??

<3 Ashley

How do you stay on your game during the holidays?