Glittering up cones and pods. Stitching up baby hats for Mama to Mama. Bashing candy canes to sprinkle on top of cookies for kid-friends. (Could there be a better job for a seven-year-old boy?) Making sets of cocktail napkins for grown-up friends. These were fun. All the fabric-choosing delight of quilting, but much less effort. [...]

Now, I could just post a recipe and some photos. But short posts aren’t really my thing, have you noticed? So I must include a story as well. I found the recipe for these soft glazed gingerbread tiles in a local magazine three or four years ago. I didn’t have the necessary printed rolling pin, [...]

That’s a photo of our Advent wreath, taken during our annual raising-of-the-Christmas-tree fondue dinner. Years ago, Chris and I started the tradition of eating fondue on the evening when we put up our Christmas tree. After all the work of decorating the tree, it seemed so easy to slit open a pack of Swiss Knight [...]

The comments have been interesting lately. Take a look. Did you see the comments from DR, my oh-so-positive friend who inspired my attempts at a complaint-free Advent? He linked to some fascinating research published last week, which shows how one person’s happiness affects his or her family and friends. According to the article, “A happy friend [...]

In the crazy commercial times that can be Christmas, I love the symbolism of Advent. We’re Catholic, and in our tradition, Advent is a time of waiting and preparation. It’s a time of taking the light of the Advent candles into our hearts, and sharing that light with others. A couple of years ago, in [...]

Our old friends Dave and Janet and their twin girls stayed with us over Thanksgiving. Dave and Chris have been buddies since high school (and I’ve known them both that long too, which is sort of a scary thought.) Dave and Janet got married the month before we did, back when we were in our [...]