Christmas, a picspam

Ok, so, here's the thing. I managed to get the camera out only about 20% of the time it was appropriate. I mean, sure, I took pictures of the red and white cookies I made and frosted for Christmas presents for my sisters. But I forgot to take pictures of the finished presents where I wrapped and repurposed my Trader Joes coffee cans to hold said cookies in awesome cookie tins. I took some pictures of my parent's dog Chewie, and mine, and them with her, but entirely forgot to bring out my camera for our Christmas day (that we do on the Saturday or Sunday before Christmas every year so everyone in the family can get together). Even though one of my sisters and her son was in England, we were, as usual, 20 or so people piled into a house together to steal white elephant presents from each other and eat a bunch of scrumptious appetizers and the potluck dinner that my stepmom has worked out the kinks of every year. She said this year, as she's tried to say for the last five years or so, that this was the last Christmas she'd hold at her house (my other sisters are going to trade off, say them). I'll believe it when it happens though. I deliberately didn't take pictures of me going with my stepmom and sister to water aerobics, but it was fun nonetheless. And I entirely forgot to take pictures of me and my sister together, which was silly because we actually spent the day shopping with each other and had breakfast together at the end and she was a bastion of awesomeness and just, awesome.

I did remember to get my camera out at my Mom's place, which was good, and so there are a few more pictures from my week there. We drove around and looked at lights up on the hills, and managed to exhaust ourselves making all those cookies I posted about earlier. But I didn't take pics of us unwrapping presents, and I didn't take pictures of our amazingly wonderful tissue paper rose windows. I did, however, manage to get pics of our awesome potatoes au gratin done in these little individual baby bunt cake tins and our first forays with the royal icing on sugar cookies. We attempted to recreate the designs from the gourmet cookies picture, though it may take us a couple of years to get them absolutely perfect. The rest of the cookies weren't as pretty (well, ok, the pecan lace ones were, but the anise ones turned out . . . strangely chewy and flat) but ended up tasty, and again, I forgot!

It's funny the things I know I'll remember versus the things I have images of, but hey, that's the way life goes anyway right? Regardless of the stress (and there was some, in both families, for different reasons) I did have a great time.

So here you go, proof of Christmas!








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