Indelible Insight: Merry Christmas!

I still can't stop listening to Christmas music. I'm listening to it as I write this post. It's inspiring me.

This Christmas was special--as they all are--and most of my traditions remained intact. The low point was forgetting to leave cookies for Santa--he left Josh and me a note: "Merry Christmas 2010. But where were my cookies? - Santa"

He still left us loads of gifts though, so I don't think he was that upset. What Santa didn't know is that my mom has started using a new Christmas cookie recipe that is out of this world! Here are some samples of the cookies we made this year. So, sorry Santa, next year you get extra!

We had lime green and pink trees, "natural" evergreen trees, chocolate reindeer with red noses, angels, and stars with crushed peppermints. DIVINE.

When I travel somewhere, I like to purchase an ornament. Some people collect spoons, t-shirts, huggies...I like to collect ornaments. Above is the latest addition to my collection: a glass blown ornament of Rockefellar Center from my birthday trip to New York. You can even see the tree in front!

My mom is always implementing creative decorative ideas around the house. This year, she bought a tomato plant holder, spray painted it gold, put a cute church ornament on the top and tied various glittery ornaments all over it. THEN...as the Christmas cards began to pour in, she would hole punch each card and tie it to the CARD TREE with a pretty ribbon--so we could enjoy looking at our Christmas cards instead of having them all stacked up in a basket.

Christmas Eve table at Gran Fran's--lovely as always!

Christmas morning! My dad is in his pajamas with a his new pocket square from Santa. Dad gave us all themed gifts this year to match his nicknames for us. I got a mechanical kitty. Ask me about it.