Christmas Cookies

I know it seems a little late to be talking about Christmas cookies. But my family was just in town to celebrate Christmas and the multiple cookie containers play a big part of the event.
I've tried to explain it on the show, but Christmas cookies are a huge tradition in my family. My mother would start baking in the middle of December, and the kitchen was a non-stop cookie factory. Trips were made to visit other members of the family and the cookies were not just a welcome addition: for some relatives it was a required part of the holidays. The creativity that flowed through the kitchen was amazing, especially when it came to the sugar cookies. Reindeer, snowmen, Christmas trees and angels were baked, iced, then carefully decorated with frosting and other sugar treats. Of course, when my sister and I were old enough, we became part of the cookie making process.
Now the years have passed. The cookies aren't as ornate and the variety may be smaller (I think fruitcake was a part of the holidays, but mom stopped that years ago), but we always get a few containers of our favorites. It just wouldn't be the holidays without a taste of home. And yes, I'll be sharing a few with Shannon this year.