This weekend, we had no formal plans besides friends coming over for dinner, and it was amazing! We didn’t have tickets to the Nutcracker, we weren’t invited to any holiday parties, and I forgot to get supplies so we didn’t make gingerbread houses. Whoops. What we did instead was make Christmas cookies, play outside in the piles of leaves, listen to lots of holiday music, and drive around a nearby neighborhood that is known for its amazing lights. We ended the weekend with dinner with friends and basketball in the backyard. It was festive, mellow, and perfectly relaxing! My favorite kind of weekend.
We have made sugar cookies many times over the years, and I always struggle to find a recipe that is flavorful and has dough that is easy to work with. I remembered reading a recipe recently on one of the blogs that I follow and decided to try that one. You can find the link here. The cookies are delicious! I like the mix of vanilla and almond extract. The quantities are huge though – we made a half batch and it was still a ton of cookies! I guess that just means we will have to share! We haven’t frosted them yet, and I thought that might be a good project for one afternoon this week. My older son had his band concert last week, which means music is over until January, and there are currently no sports going on, so our afternoons are blissfully free. Can I get an Amen?! Well, for now at least.
Saturday evening, we headed out to see Christmas lights. Because they are spread out over many blocks, we drove and bundled up in the car with cozy blankets. Where I grew up, there is one street that turns into Christmas Tree Lane so it’s perfect for walking, but the lights here are all over. Different streets have different themes, and the boys enjoy seeing their favorites each year. When we got home, they were lamenting that the basic lights on our house are a bit boring. Ha. Maybe we will have to up our game next year!
We are driving to my parents’ house for Christmas, which is only a couple of hours away, but I feel like it is so much work to pack up your entire Christmas! I spent several hours the past few days finishing all of my online shopping, knowing that I need things to get here quickly so I have time to wrap everything before we leave. I am usually way more on top of things! I’m not sure what happened this year… I suppose we could open presents at home before we leave, but the boys really like the tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve and everything else on Christmas Day, so into the car everything goes. We plan to drive down on Christmas Eve, and after Christmas, we will head to Southern California to celebrate with my husband’s family and see his grandma. With both boys in school and playing sports, we don’t get down there as often as we used to, and it will be great to see everyone.
What are your plans for the holidays? Do you get to stay home, or will you travel?
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