Santa’s Whiskers: the Official Start of Holiday Cookie Baking

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This cookbook might be vintage but the recipes never get old. One of my favorite Christmas cookies is found in this book. They are called Santa’s Whiskers because the coconut on the outside of the cookie is symbolic of Santa’s beard. They are also speckled with candied cherries for that extra Christmas cheer. You can make the dough ahead and slice and bake them right before the party.

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Ingredients

1 c. butter
1 c. sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. finely chopped red and green cherries
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans
3/4 c. flaked coconut

Directions
In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Blend in milk and vanilla. Stir in flour, chopped cherries, and pecans. Form dough into two 8-inch rolls. To do this, roll the dough in flaked coconut on a sheet of wax paper. Pull the waxed paper as if the dough roll was a sushi roll. The dough will even out inside the wax paper tube. Place in fridge and chill thoroughly.

Cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 until the edges are browned, about 12 minutes. Makes about 60 cookies.

Christmas Preparations Phase 2

Well it’s official!  The house is completed decorated except for the tree in the living room.  The reason for this is that I am having a tree trimming party on Tuesday for friends as promised.  See if some of these pictures inspire you to start your own decorating extravaganza!

These are vintage figures from my grandmother. They are cute and festive!


I laid fabric down on the table as a runner. It accents the pieces set on the table. Filling a bowl with ornaments is a quick and easy way to create a festive centerpiece!

I have a collection of these vintage elves from my grandmother. They were featured in Martha’s magazine last year.

I just bought this 3 ft. table topper tree this year. It’s decorated with Christopher Radko ornaments from Kmart that I found this year as well. They were on sale for $7.99 for a set of 6. What a steal!

Turkey Day is Done, Christmas has Begun!

This year I had a quiet Thanksgiving at home with my parents. Every year I go out to the local bar and see everyone come home with their significant others. While I wish that some day I find someone to share the holidays with, I am quite content with sharing the holiday season with friends and family. I gathered with friends on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday which made the holiday very festive. Since Turkey Day is over, it’s time to focus on Christmas.

I have quite a few Christmas parties scheduled in December. I need to decide if I want to create my own Christmas party as well. In the past, I have had a Tree Trimming Party and it was a success. If you’re looking for a party idea, that’s a great one because it gives your guests something to do and it gets your tree trimmed quickly.

I have already started the Christmas Extravaganza here at my house. I decorated the second floor today. Martha would be proud. The tree ornaments are from her line at Macy’s from a few years back.

This week I can tackle the main floor. On Wednesday, I am going into Philly to go to Macy’s (the old Wanamaker building) for some Christmas shopping and of course the light show. By the end of the week, I need to start writing Christmas cards and planning the holiday baking schedule. There is so much to do and exactly one month til Christmas. May the spirit of Christmas be with you all in the coming days.