Light the Advent Candle One

Light the Advent Candle One, 

now the waiting has begun, 

we have started on our way. 

Time to think of Christmas Day. 

We lit our first advent candle yesterday and began our preparations for a beautiful season.   The advent candle holder needs some greens but it was freezing rain when we started to get the table together for dinner.

The girls chose these thumbprint cookies for the first Christmas treat which we ate by the fire in the afternoon while on a break from crafting.

Here's the recipe:

Thumb Cookies

Cream 1/2 lb butter and 1/2 cup sugar.  Add 2 egg yolks and 1 tsp vanilla. Add 2 cups flour. Refrigerate 24 hours. Roll in balls, press down in the center, fill with jam.  375 for 10 minutes. We never wait the 24 hours!

It was fun to see what the first cookie would be to be baked, the first song to be fired up (Natalie Merchant, Children Go Where I send Thee), and the first book to be read (Big Susan).

I also tried these meringue Christmas trees (artfully posed by Helen in front of our Advent calendar). I have never made meringues before and this recipe was in the most recent Martha Stewart magazine. These came out a bit dry. It turns out the girls love meringues as they are a gluten-free treat that arrive at school birthdays regularly, but I clearly need a good recipe.

The handmade Christmas gifts are all underway. Some are even complete. It is fun to see what ideas the girls come up with each year.  Helen has turned the basement into a giant graffiti-art studio and is elfing away down there.