Got cookies?

Across-the-road neighbor and friend S invited the ladies on our road to come to her house this afternoon for a cookie-decorating party. Who knew there was such talent on this one little road?

It's easy to have 'talent' when one walks into S's kitchen and finds dozens and dozens of perfectly baked and shaped sugar cookies, along with bowls of white, red, green, blue, and yellow frosting, and all kinds of sugary doo-dads to put on top of the finished cookies.

We had stars and bells, snowflakes and Christmas trees, candy canes and gingerbread men, and round shapes that could be wreaths or tree ornaments. Plus there were platters of cheese and crackers, Oreo-based round truffle-cookies that ended up as little snowmen, and the most delicious date-nut swirl cookies. Wherever you looked in S's kitchen-- cookies! And wherever you looked in S's house-- Christmas!

Santas everywhere, snowmen everywhere else (a parade of snow people of all sizes), plus reindeer and holly and Christmas music playing all over the house, and we were all singing along.  What a great afternoon!  And such good ideas for Christmas decorations!  S had a little ladder by one of her Christmas trees... with little elves climbing up the ladder as if they weren't quite finished decorating the tree. (Well, guess who's going to be looking for a little ladder to perch her elves on?)

When I got home with my snowman-decorated plate of cookies from the afternoon at S's house, I showed my husband the result of my cookie-decorating. "Let's taste one," said he.  You want to eat these beautiful cookies?  Don't you think they're too pretty to eat?

Right before my eyes, a red and white striped candy cane just disappeared. Guess whose name is going on Santa's 'Naughty' list.....

The Christmas spirit is alive and well, and thriving, in this little corner of the Hill Country. What a great afternoon!