The Christmas Cookie Crunchless . . .

I'm not the only one who's feeling the Christmas crunch.  The tree is up, so are the lights, most of the shopping is done.  So why don't I feel in a particularly Christmasy mood?  It isn't the economy.  (Goodness knows, when I get my 401K report any minute now, I may regret that statement.)

The weather?  (Sort of.)

So, what's with this feeling of melancholy?

I've come to the conclusion that my problem is cookies.

I keep threatening hubby that I'm going to make some Christmas cookies.  I keep looking at recipes (the newspaper has a new recipe every night for twelve days) and pawing through magazines, but the truth is that  cookies just aren't going to happen.  When I recently visited Syracuse, I walked past the bakery department in Wegmans and stared at the cut-out cookies, the macaroons, and the almond paste cookies.  (They're ten bucks a pound, so were I inclined to bite, the cost keeps me in line.)

Mind you, we're not the kind of people to sit down and eat a bag of chips or a package of cookies.  In fact, I rarely have them in the house.  Our problem is portion size.  And the worst?  We both work on computers.  That means sitting for most of the day. 

Come January 1st, we're on a diet. 

Still, if I'm depressed about the IDEA of starting a diet, imagine how crabby I'll be when I'm actually on it. How about you?

To Bake--Or Not To Bake?

It's no secret that I like to eat.  Especially sweet stuff.  Cookies, cake, candy, I like it all.  The problem is, I eat it, I wear it, and who wants that.

But tis the holidays!  You're supposed to overeat.  You're supposed to bake, Bake, BAKE!  (The Pop-n-Fresh Doughboy said so!)

My excuse this year NOT to bake (and I'm really clinging to it) is I HAVE NO TIME.  Now, we all know this is a lie.  I used to work 40 hours a week, AND put in my time at the co-op and I still managed to find time to bake for the holidays.  I'm desperately trying NOT to find time to bake because I keep seeing my butt in the full-length mirror and thinking, "I really need to go on a diet."  (Can you say New Year's Resolution?)

There's a box of brownie mix on the counter that's saying, "Bake, me, Bake me!" I recently found Eva Wiley's (God bless her soul) peanut butter fudge recipe--the BEST in the universe.  And I came across Ruth Megan's peanut butter cookie recipe that I thought was lost forever.  *Sigh*  in the same league as the fudge recipe.

Cut-out cookies are just too much work, what with decorating and all...so the above are my choices for Christmas goodies.  Then again, maybe I should just buy them.

But that doesn't solve the butt problem.

(That's part of last year's production on the right.)

WEEKEND REPORT

I'm still getting used to downloading pictures from my camera. Mind you, I've had this camera almost three years, but hubby always downloaded the pictures. I decided it was about time I learned to do it myself.

We hit a Community Sale first thing Saturday morning. All the "press" said it began at 8 a.m. We got there at 8:10 and there was no one there. Including people selling their stuff. I glanced at the few offerings and back home we went to wait for 9 a.m. and the other sales listed in the Shopper.

Not a great day for junking. As a collector of wedding cake toppers, how could I pass up this little girl and guy, Made In Japan salt and pepper shakers on their little wooden bench, and a steal at a dollar.

We went to several other sales and there was just nothing worth getting. (Bummer.) Then we stopped at a pretty big sale in Wolcott. They must have had several hundred Avon perfume bottles, glasses, whatever--still in their original boxes. And since they were cleaning out a house, they'd put just about everything else in box lots that ranged from $1 to $3. I ended up with two box lots. The first didn't have much. I bought it for the five vintage pennants (which I neglected to photograph)--the rest went right in the trash. Cost: $1.

The second box was a lot more fun. I bought it just because it had--what else?--another bride and groom. (Also Made in Japan--and probably older.) But what a treasure trove! The little kid figurine walking the dog, the parrott, the two metal coasters, the Made In Japan Indian, etc. Of course, I'm probably not going to keep them all. (Although I am partial to that green dog coaster.) There was a LOT more than this in the box, too, but it wasn't worth keeping. Cost for all this stuff: $1.

I also bought some cake pans. You know what that means...