Cookies!

 Christmas cookies! Making them, decorating them, sharing them—all are some of the joyous aspects of the holiday season. Yesterday I made, cut out, and baked double recipes of gingerbread men and all the sugar cookie shapes—trees, ornaments, snowflakes (the only ones we’ll see in Sacramento!), snowmen (ditto), and canes. 

Today is Action Day. A group of friends and I will gather in front of my clubhouse’s fireplace to combine our cookies and decorations to have a Cookie Decorating Party. It will conclude with a gift exchange game, and will be liberally sprinkled throughout the afternoon with oohs, aahs, and much laughter! Some of us are ace decorators, and others of us, well, we’ll make an effort. However the cookies turn out, the time together will be capital ‘F’ Fun!

I love this kind of get-together. All of us contribute, and no one individual is responsible for everything. We’ll share setting up and cleaning up, and nobody ends up totally pooped. While the overall responsibility is mine, I know I won’t have a heavy burden. That certainly adds to the fun factor for me!

I’m so grateful to have these women as friends. If I ever need anything, any one of them can be called upon for help. This is the kind of community we all need, I think. People getting together for one purpose, regardless of their personal or political leanings. Those things don’t matter when the attention on each other is simply valued friendship.

I feel very fortunate to have a circle of friends. I wish this for everyone. Today I’ll celebrate the joys of the season with them, as we laugh, make messes, create the occasional masterpiece (maybe!), and focus on something besides any troubles we may be having.

Cookies, anyone?