Hurtling along

Well, hello there!

Thanks for a lovely time cookie-ing, to the cozy group that made it. I have now re-made a batch of cookies, this time in an edible version.

Back up just a bit, there. I made two kinds of cookies for the swap Friday: pecan balls like my grandmother used to make, because usually somebody makes some and I love them and ... well. YOHM. The other kind was supposed to be a delightful chocolate chunk/dried cherry/toffee bits/oatmeal thing. I thought to myself, hey! I'll use some really nice oatmeal! I have some steel-cut Irish oats in the pantry!

Um.

I'm not sure what I was thinking.

I mean, I do realize that in order for steel-cut oats to be edible, they soak in hot water for a very very long time.

What I made, as it transpired, tasted like chocolate chunk/dried cherry/bird seed. Or gravel. Worst cookies I've ever made--and I wasn't even trying! We speculated that they might come in handy for an industrial-strength digestive emergency--I think I mentioned perhaps developing a Colitis Collection for holiday gift-giving.

Made another batch today, plus more pecan balls, plus banana bread. And yes, as a matter of fact, I do have have a chemistry test I should be studying for, how'd you know? Clearly this will be an absurdly long post.

Swiping Carole's meme, herewith a Christmastime list:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper.
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real.
3. When do you put up the tree? A couple of weeks before Christmas, but we may do it early this year--the "quiet room" is all tidy and ready for it, which is pretty unusual.
4. When do you take the tree down? Far too late. I try to get it down for Epiphany, but usually scramble.
5. Do you like eggnog? YOHM YOHM YOHM I eggnog monster! I drink all you eggnog now! YOHM! (I can't drink much of it at once, but oh, yes. Yes.)
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Tough call; one of the best was (is) a beautifully illustrated book called "Tales of Old Russia," which my aunt Sylvia gave me. I loved it immediately (and still do) (yes, I still have it)
7. Hardest person to buy for? My dad. I usually figure something out eventually.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Oldest child.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yup.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Pleading the fifth on this one.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Scrooged, with Bill Murray. Also the musical "Scrooge" with Albert Finney, which makes me cry lots and lots ("happiness is standing beside me...") (aaaahhhh, sob sob) And "Robbie the Reindeer," which cracks me up.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I like starting after Thanksgiving. Weirdly, I love present-shopping close to Christmas.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don’t think so.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Pie. Also WITH a nice cup of tea: English mince pies, christmas cake with thick marzipan on top.
16. Lights on the tree? Yup.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Okay, I was in a dinner theater show years ago that was an entire evening of unusual Christmas songs. I really like "Hard Candy Christmas" from "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," because I remember how we sounded singing it - awesome. Yeah.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Have done both - usually we stay pretty close to home. It occurs to me that Christmas is never a guarantee that I'll get to see any particular relatives, and that may be unusual. Work schedules, far-flung-ness, etc.
19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, Donner and Cupid and Kumquat and Blitzen, right?
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning.
21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? That it ends so quickly? (I agree with Carole on the ads, though - that jewelry ad makes me queasy)
22. Favorite ornament theme or color? Chaos. Our tree is a mix of ornaments we've collected over the years, and there isn't any theme at all. It looks like enthusiastic children decorated it (as it should).
23. What do you want for Christmas this year? An A in neurodegenerative disease? Or books. Or yarn. Or really interesting clothes or shoes or or or...
24. Angel on the tree top or a star? Glittery cardboard angel, by tradition. It's a weird tradition.
25. Favorite Christmas dinner? Turkey and whatever everybody brought, which is part of the pleasure of it.

Onward we go! Have fun, everybody!