Santa Is Coming To Town!

By Christy Rost, December 2005

The best gifts are not always found in department stores, discount malls, or even online. Sometimes, the best gift begins with a visit to the supermarket. With a little “kitchen magic”, flour, sugar, eggs, and a few drops of vanilla can be transformed into the most delightful, and thoughtful gifts – perfect for a busy friend who doesn’t have time to bake, an elderly parent who has everything they need, and the neighbor who retrieves your newspaper from the front sidewalk each morning to save you the trek outside, or picks up your mail while you’re out of town.

Everyone loves receiving homemade gifts from the kitchen, and when they are as adorable as my Santa Claus Cookies, which are featured on this month’s easyentertain.com home page, it’s a gift that will be long remembered. To make Santa, cut the lemon-flavored cookie dough with a large heart-shaped cookie cutter and bake them until they barely begin to brown. After cooling, decorate the cookies with pastry bags fitted with a star tip, and filled with buttercream frosting. Create Santa’s eyes and mouth with a dab of frosting and blue or red M & M’s®. Just remember – the pointed end of the heart is Santa’s hat, so be sure to turn the cookies around before decorating!

This is a fun project for the entire family, so let everyone get in on the action. Set aside a few hours during these final days before Christmas and enjoy a lighthearted family cookie decorating session. Serve mugs of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows or whipped cream, play Christmas carols on the CD player, and have a ball! Afterwards, everyone can help wrap up the cookies and deliver them. It’s a memorable way to spend time together as a family during this busy holiday season.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones!