We call it "Cousin Cookie Baking." I speak on behalf of all the girls when I say it is one of the best traditions of Christmas. As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, there are ten granddaughters in the family (mom's side), and this tradition seriously beats all that I have written about before. This is Christmas tradition #8: Baking sugar cookies with the cousins!!!
So how did this tradition start for us? When my mom was pregnant with my sister Christina, she was bed-ridden, and my Aunt Jennifer baked cookies with her two girls (my cousins) and my sister and me. I think there is more... but I'm not sure. We used to always do this on the Saturday after school got out. Now that some of us are in college, live far away, and have jobs, that day does not always work. However, we always find a day to put aside for cookies. This year, CCB is tomorrow!!!
So here is what we do (and there is a LOT that goes into it!): First, we pick a location. When the CCB first started it was always at our house or Aunt Jen's house. When Rachel and Lauren (the youngest cousins) were born, we did not start having it at Aunt Dawn's house (don't ask ;)) instead we have it at the church every few years, then when Nikki got married, we added her house to the rotation.
Okay, so once we decided when and where we are going to have the CCB, we get to work on the homemade gifts.... okay, so that was a lie, most of us wait until the night before to make our gifts. That's right! I said "make our gifts" because only homemade gifts are exchanged at the CCB. Its so cool. Throughout the years, we have come up with all sorts of gifts to make each other, so many that recently (as in this year) it has been hard to come up with cool stuff to make. For instance, in the past we have had all different kinds of jewelry, picture frames, and Christmas tree ornaments. We have also had the really original gifts like our own website, stationary, duck-tape wallets, and t-shirts. Finally, we have the gifts that stay the same every year... or the gift: my sister Christina makes bookmarks every year.
When cookie baking time comes around we exchange our homemade gifts, it is always so fun to see what everyone has come up with... and who has made the same thing :)
Then, comes the best part: the cookies (okay, so disclaimer: being together is the best part, but the cookies... well who can argue with that being the other best part?). We make homemade sugar cookies every year. And ever year we use the same cookie cutters (the tree, the star, the heart, the candy cane) and the same decorations (decorative sugar and red hots and not those little silver balls). We all have rolling pins and aprons that grandmama and grandaddy made for us.
Finally, we always all end up with a little flour on our faces and more cookies in our bellies than on our plates.
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