22 Dozen Cookies We somehow managed to pack all of our California Christmas traditions into the first 10 days of December.  It made for a crazy, crazy week.  We didn't get home from Montana until Monday November 30, and on Saturday, December 5 we spent half of the day at the Pac-12 Championship game.  That meant we had some late evenings getting the house decorated, the tree up and lit and decorated AND the outdoor Christmas lights in place.  Despite this compressed schedule, Lee decided this was the year that we were finally going to put lights up on the roof line.  I didn't have it in me, but I'm so glad that he did.  We won't ever go back!

Last year we hosted a cookie decorating party and it was such a hit that we decided we would do it again.   Fremont Friends We managed to invite even more people than last year and I made a record number of 22 dozen cookies.  I wouldn't have been able to do it without the help of my good friend, Jenn.  The two of us spent a total of six hours mixing, baking and counting cookies.  Thank heavens for a double oven or we would have been at it for twice as long.   The party was another success and I'm convinced this will become an annual event.   Only this year, what made it all the better was the addition of our new backyard.   It wasn't raining that Monday night (12/7) and as soon as the kids finished decorating their cookies, out they went to play in the backyard.  The men sat around the fire and kept the kids in line (somewhat) while the women enjoyed the social aspect of the evening.  We had a couple of plant casualties in the backyard, but otherwise - it couldn't have gone better.   

Decorating cookies with the Tanner girls For the last several Christmases, Lee and I have decorated gingerbread houses with Joy and Collin.  It's something we look forward to every Christmas season, and this year it just wasn't possible to pull off.  We did however, entice Joy, Collin, Mila and Ay (who was visiting) to swing by that first Sunday of December to join us for dinner.  They had great timing and arrived just as I was cleaning up from the cookie baking marathon.   We loved the brief visit and substituted the gingerbread decorating with sugar cookie decorating.   It wasn't a bad alternative, and it definitely was easier!

Friends Christmas Party Just four days later, Lee and I were asked to host our friends annual Christmas party.   While it was a bit tricky having it on a Friday night, Lee grilled up some very delicious tritip and our friends prepared everything else.  It was another dry (yet chilly) night and we brought everyone outside to checkout the new backyard.  Despite it being 48 degrees, we all sat outside around the fire and chatted for nearly two hours.  The fire actually kept us warm! We even did the ornament exchange outside.   We love our new backyard!

The next morning I woke up exhausted and on the verge of getting sick.  Despite all my efforts, I fell subject to some virus and was sick for the next four weeks!  Needless to say we missed both the church Christmas part and my work holiday party.   We were grateful though we got in everything else before I lost all my energy.