Christmas Cookies and Continued Thankfulness
There are two parts to this blog post, and I'm going to put the recipe first, because we ALL know how I feel about scrolling through text to find the recipe I'm looking for. So if you care to read the rest, please scroll!
I tried this recipe last year and loved it!
SOFT CHRISTMAS COOKIES
INGREDIENTS
- 3 3/4 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
- 1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER
- 1/2 TEASPOON SALT
- 1 CUP MARGARINE, SOFTENED
- 1 1/2 CUPS WHITE SUGAR
- 2 EGGS
- 2 TEASPOONS VANILLA EXTRACT
DIRECTIONS
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Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together, set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Gradually blend in the sifted ingredients until fully absorbed. Cover dough, and chill for 2 hours.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. On a clean floured surface, roll out small portions of chilled dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters.
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Bake 6 to 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are barely brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cool on wire racks. Decorate as you please!
Moving on to potatoes.. or the meat, depending on your preference.
This season is wild and crazy, we can all agree. We spend the first portion of the holiday season sitting around staring at a turkey, taking photos, and posting on social media about how thankful we are for the things we have and the people in our lives. Then 10 days later when we're knee deep in gift buying, bills, end of year responsibilities, holiday traffic, and more; we forget about the things we said we were thankful 10 days before.
I'll be the first to admit, while I love this season, the amount of stress it brings can make myself and anyone a Grinch. But this evening, after a day of making content, packaging orders, and answering emails, I snuck into my favorite room in my house to see a sweet little one..... sprawled out, mouth open, snoring like a grown man, without a care in the world. And suddenly, I remembered how great it was to have ZERO responsibilities....
Just kidding, but I did remember how easy it can be to be thankful, for the smallest things. I remembered how easy it is to stop and see the things in front you and really notice the people in your lives, and be thankful for what and who is there in the moment. Not in that weird blur of the holiday season, but physically in those moments.
So tonight's reminder is that while life, and this season especially, is undoubtedly crazy. Don't forget to be thankful when it's not on social media or the first month of the holidays sitting around a turkey.
Stop the crazy for a minute. And breathe. Tell a friend how much you appreciate them. Notice your family and the things they are doing. Then pray and thank God for giving you that life every day.
Also, take a note out of my kid's book: sprawl out and take a good nap like you have no responsibilities. God's got it handled
A verse for stress this season: "The LORD is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts, and I am helped;
my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him." -Psalms 28:7