Merry Christmas and a new old tradition

for a very long time there have been gingerbread cookies on our Christmas tree every year

these came to us as a gift from a very dear friend in California and served as decor on the tree until Christmas day after which they were fair game for whomever wanted to have a sweet snack

over the years our friend has made thousands of these cookies -- all lovingly mixed, cut, baked and decorated and enclosed in plastic bags with ribbons and ornament hooks all ready to hang on the tree

there were some years when my daughter was very young that there was also an assortment of gingerbread animals on the tree

this year my friend has given up the baking of the mega batches of gingerbread

at 82 her hands are no longer strong enough to do all of the decorating

instead, she made felt gingerbread boys for all of us that have over the years been part of the great gingerbread boy ornament list

she used the same cookie cutter to make the pattern they are cut from, and each one is decorated with the same pattern she used every year, right down to the names

and they're wrapped in plastic baggies and have the ornament hooks attached

I feel privileged to have a "forever" gingerbread boy with my name from her -- and she made one for each of, including Mr. Cute

perhaps next year I'll try making some cookies from the recipe just for us to eat


these kind of traditions are part of what creates the fiber that binds families together --


may you be blessed with joy in your own family's traditions

Merry Christmas!