Here is a play by play of Friday night, Saturday and Sunday...
It started out with my niece and I unwrapping the candies that will be used on the cookies. Usually all my nieces and nephews do this but a few of them went to the Penn State game and one niece did not feel well so it defaulted to me and Maddy!
This is my little sister and niece mixing some dough! The kids love to help so much! I think they like this as much as we all do!
My tw0 adorable nephews pushing the peanut butter cups into the baked dough.
My sister-in-law and myself for a selfie!
Mom counting the completed batches.
My oldest niece keeping the little ones occupied during their break by playing Polly pockets. The little kids love the baking but they have a short attention span and need frequent breaks - LOL!!
Here is the break room - HA!!! The boys watching football no doubt!!!
See them all - lots of testosterone in that room!
Two nieces working on the cutout cookies. We bake these and then let the kids decorate them every year.
Another break - I think this one is the Game of Life break.
Here is my darling niece Jess. She recently graduated and has just started teaching at a school near my sisters house so she moved back home. To her right is her new baby Max...she is a super cute cat mom and is great to her baby!
This is a close up of her baby Max...
Another round of the Game of Life anyone?!?!
My niece Jordan was hilarious this year! Not only did she participate this year with baking, playing with her younger cousins, etc. but everyday she came up with a new outfit for the day! This one was great! She is a cat mom too to a cute little fur ball names Penelope. This sweater actually lit up!!!!!! Awesome!!
This is a cute out that my sister-in-law found on Facebook! Sadly, it is a deer that has been shot. My brother-in-law hunts so it was perfect for him to take up to his deer camp. LOL! I was not in the spirit of love so we only made three - HA!
This is about halfway thorough the baking...
Cute picture of cousins working together to mic batter...
And my littler sister and nephew twisting candy canes...this is a horrible job and we give it to my sister every year - HA!
My niece was counting cookies in this photo-see her way back there with her paper. We add up the numbers we do every year...
My sister makes homemade applesauce and she wanted to defrost some for dinner Saturday night to eat with pizza. She put it outside to defrost. Then it started pouring down raining outside and my Mom put on all her raingear to go out and retrieve it...LOL! I just love this picture...my mother will kill me if she ever sees it on here! LOL!
This is my brother and sister making Santa's out of Nutter Butter's. He is an engineer and she thinks like one so these are the most precise and perfect cookies you will ever see...seriously! They turned out super cute!
Everyone chilling and taking breaks on electronics.
Same here....
This is the finished table!!!! What a productive weekend! We finished on Saturday night around dinner time. We did not set a family record this year as we dropped a few kinds that we have made before but we finished all of our holiday baking. Total cookie count was 2,133 cookies; 173 dozen; 16 varieties!!!
On Sunday the family separates the cookies and everyone heads home. We split them up in zip-locks and everyone takes home a ton of cookies they can then use for cookie trays at parties and gifts! Holiday baking is completed for everyone! Note: everyone in their Steelers gear for the game!!!!
If you live nearby and we are friends; be prepared for your tray of cookies!!!!
I love my family and I love all the time we spend together! Do not be deceived; we get on each others nerves but there is nothing better then family! I think we only about 20 minor spats throughout the weekend which is pretty good for all those people under one roof!!! There is no one that can push my buttons more then my siblings! LOL!!!!
I hope you all had an amazing holiday!!!!
Do you bake for the holidays? Do you have any family traditions you follow every year? Do you enjoy spending the holidays alone or in chaos?
Yum! Lots of delicious looking cookies there (and I love whoever's kitchen that is). Mom and I used to make cookies every year and my kids helped with the sugar cookies, but not much else. I tried to make it a tradition after my son got married but my daughter-in-law had zero interest. When I suggested she decorate the sugar cookies she just looked at me and said she didn't know what an angel looked like. We told her to just decorate them however she wanted, but nothing. I'm going to try to revive it this year since my daughter now lives next door and my grandson is 2. Mom's 74...who knows how many more years we'll have with all of us able to bake?
ReplyDeleteYour Grandson will love it think! It is such a fun tradition and the kids enjoy it as much as we do now! That is my sisters kitchen-it is beautiful and perfect for this since she has two ovens also!!! Good luck with your new tradition!
DeleteWow!!!!! I mean WOW.
ReplyDeleteThis post made me so happy
Happy to hear that Linda! Hugs
DeleteWHOA! That is a HUGE spread of cookies, I love this family tradition and all the photos of the process. Laughed out loud at the shot-deer cookies - perfect for hunting camp!
ReplyDeleteThanks Abby! It gets better every year! We are on each others nerves at the end of it all but that is what family is for-right?!?! HA!
DeleteHow do these stay fresh until Xmas? WOW I may need to give you my address Ann. Those peanut butter ones with the choc.kisses drive me bonkers. I just made them for hair dresser. The hardest part is unwrapping all those damn kisses. Probably because I eat as many so I have to keep unwrapping. :-)
ReplyDeleteOh yes Margaret - we ate a lot while we were unwrapping! I was sick for two days - HA!!! We keep them in the freezer and in ziplocks - it works great!
DeleteOh my goodness!! I would like to know how many pounds of flour, sugar, and sticks of butter y'all used!! What a great way to get the baking done!! I don't bake anymore since we just don't have the kids around these days. I might make two or three kinds so I can give some away, but nothing like YOU and nothing like I used to do. 'Tis the season!!
ReplyDeleteI think my sister actually tallied it up this year since we are never sure how much to buy! I will have to ask! Hugs Terri!
DeleteThat's a lot of cookies! I love your family gatherings!
ReplyDeleteYes it is Julie! I love them too - it is a little chaotic but there is no one I would rather spend time with!
DeleteGolly!!!! That's a whole lotta cookies! My friend Alice and her family does this every year and most recently baked cookies for her granddaughters wedding. I wish I lived near you. I do bake, but not on such a large scale. My freezer is filled with cookies now for the grandkids when they come visit.
ReplyDeleteIt is a ton of cookies! By the end of the weekend we are all exhausted but it is so worth it to be able to give friends a nice tray of cookies for the holidays!
DeleteSeriously, I'm in awe of your Christmas cookie baking! Do you freeze them until Christmas??? What a lovely tradition.
ReplyDeleteYes we do freeze many of them (peanut butter blossoms, Oreo balls, etc) and the others we put in ziplocks and they stay fresh until Christmas - it works great! Have a great day Debby!!!
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