You might already have all your cookies made and are hunkered down to enjoy the season. Or maybe you’re flailing around like a “chicken with its head cut off” trying to get everything done before Christmas (been there). But I couldn’t let Christmas go by without sharing a few of my favorites. I love baking all throughout the year, but this is definitely my favorite time of year to be in the kitchen. It’s also my favorite time to make extra special memories with my kiddos. So far, we’ve been able to go to a light show from our town that was phenomenal, made Christmas crafts, and watched 2 concerts – the Collingsworth family and the Chosen’s Christmas episode. Wow! Both of these are amazing! It’s still on our agenda to make cookies together. So, whether you could use any more ideas or not, I hope you enjoy looking through a few of my favorites.
There’s nothing like waking up on Christmas morning to cinnamon rolls. This recipe is by far the best I’ve tried.
A few of our favorite cookies are: Peppermint Mocha Cookies, Peppermint Meltaway Cookies, Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Iced Cookies, and Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cookies. I still can’t resist trying new recipes every year. So, this list always looks different, but these are my tried and true.
My husband has been trying to cut out white flour and sugar to help with inflammation in his back, so I’ve tried a few new cookies that he’s loved and are gluten-free. I replaced the sugar in these recipes with honey, but you could also use natural maple syrup. Oatmeal Cookies Gluten Free and Chewy Chocolate Almond Cookies (Gluten-free)
This hot chocolate is super easy to make and makes a fun addition to our Christmas memory making. I throw in some marshmallows & peppermint sticks and it’s super fun to sip on while making crafts or watching a favorite Christmas movie.
A tradition that we started a few years ago and has become one of my absolute favorites, is making a “Happy Birthday Jesus” cake. Then we sing happy birthday to Jesus on Christmas day. I never want my kids to forget what Christmas is all about and I’ve made it a tradition of my own to rededicate my life to Him in that moment since the only thing I actually can give Him is my heart. I made an Almond Cream Cake our first year and decorated it with chocolate trees like on this cake. Peppermint Fudge Cake was last year’s cake and I will be trying out a Lemon Gingerbread Cake this year. Not only is this recipe by one of my favorite cake ladies, but the idea of a gingerbread lemon cake reminds me of my Grandma. We lost my Papa earlier this year so it just seemed fitting.
For Christmas dinner, a few of my favorite side dishes are Best Thanksgiving Stuffing and Ranch Roasted Carrots. I also love doing cinnamon apples. These are super easy to do and I make them without a recipe. Just peel and slice about an apple per person and then add a couple more for good measure because they cook down a lot. Add a couple tablespoons of butter to a frying pan. Sprinkle in some brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook the apples till they’re soft and voila!
Another tradition that I started last year was making ornaments or just random crafts with my kiddos. We have a pine forest behind us and have PLENTY of pinecones to be found. So, here’s a few of the projects that we had fun with: Pinecone Owls, Pinecones with Pom Pom’s, Snowmen, Christmas Trees, Balls. We strung all the paper crafts up and made a garland out of it to decorate the kids school room with. This Pom Pom Christmas Tree was super fun to make. The ornaments in the pictures I made out of plastic clear balls that I purchased from Hobby Lobby and then glued on some beads that I already had on hand. The other is jute yarn that I dipped in mod podge and wrapped around a blown up balloon. I let it dry over night, popped the balloon, then tied some more jute string on to hang it on the tree
Also, a couple Christmas shows that are really sweet that I let my kiddos watch are Timmy’s Gift: A Precious Moments Christmas Story and Annabelle’s Wish.
I hope you enjoy these ideas and get some use out of them, but most of all enjoy this season and the reason we celebrate. You can check out this post for further encouragement if you struggle with this season.
Feel free to connect with me over on Pinterest to find all these pins that I have linked and many more that I am still working through and trying out for myself.
I would also love it if you would connect by sending a message, commenting or find me on social media and share some pics of a recipe you tried or tradition you started.
I love you friend and hope you have a very Merry Christmas!
~Jen
*There are a lot of links in this post, but I am not affiliated with any of them. These are simply resources that I have found on either Pinterest or YouTube.
Coffee with Jen 