The Highlight of my Holidays

I am so pleased to say that I have finally started my Christmas shopping. I've been baking my little heart out and I haven't had time to get things going. But, it's crunch time, right? 

I have everything for my little girl. I have a great gift idea for Topher. It's top secret. I can't spill the beans. Now I need to focus on the rest of the list. I'm hoping to be done by the end of the week. How are you doing on your list? If you have a tough person on your list, have you considered cookies? Mostly everyone loves cookies. You can view our holiday products by clicking here. A few collections are close to selling out...so don't delay if you plan to order. All orders need to be placed no later than December 19th.

I have been working on my standard web orders...but there have been a few corporate orders in the mix...

Like these custom tree ornaments for my friends at Secret Keeper Girl.

This is what their normal logo cookie looks like...

I took those same colors and design concepts and translated it to a Christmas gift box, snowflakes, and a very glittery Christmas tree.

Guess what!?! Secret Keeper Girl is planning a HUGE giveaway on December 15th. They will be giving away more than $900 of their stuff. You don't want to miss out! Click here to visit their blog for the details. You might just want to bookmark their blog if you're a mom with a little girl. The resources are tremendous. Some great mom and tween gifts ideas!

Back to more cookies...

Snowmen and snowflakes have been very popular this year. I created several boxes with a custom logo cookie for MD News.

A close-up of the custom cookie.

Then I did a big order for our local hospital, the Mount Nittany Medical Center. They were hosting the Business AfterHours with the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County. I made a bell with their logo mark and holly. Halfway through their order I got a call for an additional 50 cookies. I am always happy to help in a cookie pinch.

Plus they asked for satin red ribbons with tags. A nice finished product! 

I did an assortment of the holiday cookie collections for Brown & Brown Insurance. They also wanted to put logo cookies with their order...

I really hope everyone is enjoying their cookies! I know I'm enjoying making them. 

While decorating, I have a lot of time to think about my best holiday memories. It's tough to pinpoint my best Christmas ever. In second grade, I received my most prized Christmas gift, a jumbo brown Pound Puppy that I named Brownie. I loved that puppy for many, many years. 

Then there was the year our entire collection of Christmas ornaments disappeared. Vanished! Somehow during the move from one house to the next, our decorations got lost in the mix! This mystery remains unsolved. It was devastating to my mom. Our tree stayed outside, cold and undecorated for days while we mourned the loss of some of our prized possessions. Included in the loss were the homemade ornaments we made in kindergarten. So sad! One night, only a few days before Christmas, my big brother Andrew waited until we were all asleep and then he sneaked out of the house on a midnight trip to the Christmas store. He bought all new lights and decorations. Staying up all night, he trimmed our tree and created the most beautiful surprise our family has ever seen. The next morning I woke up to my mom gasping at the sight of a gorgeous decorated tree in our living. I have no idea what I got for Christmas that year, but I will NEVER forget the gift of love my brother gave to our family. It felt like a Christmas miracle.

Then there was the year my mom's greatest wish came true. Words won't do it justice. You just need to watch this video.  It's best with sound...so turn up your volume.

.

Funny, no? It might only be funny to me. But the laughter from my mom is totally priceless! I can never just watch it once! This was Christmas 2004. My mom mentioned she always wanted to jump on a tube of toothpaste...so that is what she got in her stocking. Thank goodness I have the video to remember it forever!

What's your greatest holiday memory? I'd love to hear your stories too! Please share them in the comments area below!

Have a very sweet holiday,

Anne