Silver Bells

Something a bit more cheerful. The boy slept better last night. Still torture by most standards, but by ours, I feel able to take on the world.

I'm officially not allowed to talk about it until after Bingley's birthday, but it's hard for me to keep the Christmas out of my voice at the moment. The stores are all in their marketing orgy of tinsel and lights and muzak and I secretly (or not so secretly) couldn't be happier. I'm one of those annoying people who sparkles for the whole of December and glories in the season.

It seems though, that I am related to or friends with an inordinate number of grinches. Who moan about the cheer and the presents and the tinsel. Who don't want to buy any gifts or send cards or hear carols or go to parties or deal with families. I find it very sad, but deal with it in my own annoying cheerful way including gifting large numbers of potent rumballs.

My edible gifts are pretty static every season, mostly because they are filled with foods I only eat once per year and look forward to for the rest. I am trying a few new ones this year, but the standard set will include...

• rumballs (my own liquored up recipe)
• dark rocky road
• white rocky road
• coconut ice
• caramel fudge
• ginger cookies
• stained glass cookies
• mini plum puddings
• peanut butter truffles (new, yet to be determined Jenn recipe)

The caramel fudge I've never tried before, but looks to be an easy enough recipe. I was intending to trial it today, but the girls stole my bag of white chocolate chips this morning so I was missing half the ingredients. The rumballs I invented several years ago and I look forward to the whole rest of the year. The rocky road is my own recipe based on a very scientific mix of "whatever I feel like". The stained glass cookies are probably the prettiest of the bunch. Usually I only make them for birthday parties, but have decided they will be a good project to do with the girls.

Aside from the cooking I also each year make the girls a dress (and I guess I will have to make something for the Possum this year as well!), wrap hundreds of presents, decorate trees and generally enjoy myself while dancing around in brandy fumes like a madwoman.

It truly is my favourite time of year.