Iced Gingerbread Cookie Sticks: Elegant, Edible Coffee Stirrers for Holiday Trays from Cleo Coyle's Coffeehouse Mysteries

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Here is a sophisticated take on the classic gingerbread cookie. It's an elegant idea for dessert trays, holiday parties, or that cozy evening by your roaring fireplace DVD (and, yes, we have one). I have a quick, last-minute decorating tip for your holiday tables, too, but first the recipe... 
Click for Free Recipe PDF.

To download my Gingerbread Cookie Sticks recipe now as a free PDF, click here.


To read my full blog post with step-by-step photos and an easy holiday decorating tip, scroll down, or click here or on the "Read more" link below, and...


Eat with holiday joy!

~ Cleo









Cleo Coyle has a partner in
crime-writing—her husband.
Learn about their books
by clicking here and here.

A Note from Cleo 

Our readers may remember this festive cookie from Once Upon a Grind, our 14th Coffeehouse Mystery and a wonderful read for the fall season. The story kicks off with a Fairy Tale Festival in Central Park, where the first crime scene occurs

Our amateur sleuth Clare is working at the festival with her merry band of baristas, who give her shop's coffee truck a Jack-in-the-Beanstalk makeover. Unfortunately for Clare, her coffee hunter ex-husband Matt brings his own "magic beans," coffee beans sourced from a legendary (but very real) area of Africa, and they bring Giant trouble. 

These cookies, on the other hand, are designed to bring joy. Drizzle them with melted white chocolate or make my vanilla glaze (recipe included). A final sprinkling of white (coarse) sparkling sugar will create a treat as pretty as a winter snowfall. May you bake them with love and eat with holiday joy!

~ Cleo



To learn more about Cleo Coyle's
Coffeehouse Mystery ONCE UPON A GRIND
(
a Fairy Tale Murder in Central Park),
click here.







Cleo Coyle's Iced 

Gingerbread Cookie Sticks

Elegant, Edible Coffee Stirrers for Holiday Trays 

Makes about 4-5 dozen cookie sticks, depending on size

For cookies:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice (or 1⁄8 teaspoon ground cloves)
10 tablespoons (1-1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature*
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup molasses (unsulphured, not blackstrap)
1/3 whole milk (or brewed coffee)*

To finish:

Vanilla Glaze (see recipe below) and
White (coarse) sparkling sugar (about 1/4 cup)


*Note: To make this recipe dairy free replace butter with non-dairy margarine and the whole milk with coffee or almond milk.

Step 1— Assemble the dry ingredients. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice (or cloves). Set aside.




Step 2—Make the dough. Using an electric mixer, cream the softened butter and dark brown sugar; add the molasses and milk (or coffee) and blend again. While continuing to beat at a low speed, slowly add in your dry ingredients, blending to make a smooth dough. Do not overbeat, but be sure all of the flour mixture is incorporated. 


CLEO TIP #1: The dough should be sticky and in the next step you will chill it to harden up the butter, but you may need to adjust the dough slightly, depending on your climate. If your dough seems very wet, beat in a bit more flour. But don't overdo it because too much flour will toughen up your cookie.




Step 3—Wrap and chill. Form the sticky dough into 2 balls and flatten into disks. Wrap the two disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour; overnight is fine, too. (If you’re in a hurry, place the dough discs in the freezer for 20 minutes instead.) The chilling will harden up the butter and make the dough easier to work with for the next step.

Step 4—Roll the dough. First, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the chilled dough disks from the fridge and (if too hard) allow to warm just enough to become pliable. Place the dough between two sheets of lightly flour-dusted parchment paper. (This is a great method for rolling cookies because you will only need the lightest dusting of flour, which will keep the cookies from toughening up.) 




Roll your dough thin, about the 
thickness of a pie crust, around 1/8 inch. 


CLEO TIP #2: If the dough becomes too warm as you roll it, and it sticks too much to the parchment paper, simply slip the whole thing onto a flat pan and place the pan in the fridge for 20 minutes or freezer for 15. Once the rolled-out dough is chilled, it will firm up and easily separate from the paper.


Step 5—Cut the cookies. Remove the top layer of parchment paper. Use a pizza cutter to clean up the edges of your rectangle and slice into sticks. Do not move the sticks off the bottom parchment layer. Simply slip the entire sheet of parchment onto a cookie sheet. 





Step 6—Bake. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes. When the cookies are finished baking, you will need to recut them and you must do this while the cookies are still warm. 




Gently slide the entire sheet of parchment paper onto a cutting board or a sturdy counter surface and use your original slicing lines as a guide. The pizza cutter will make quick work of it, roll from the top down, as you see in my photo below, so you can easily follow your lines. 





Step 7COOL: You must allow the cookie sticks to cool completely before handling. If you try to move them while they are warm, they are very likely to crack and break (ask me how I know).

Step 8—Drizzle with glaze. Once cool, you can make the glaze (recipe below) or melt white chocolate and drizzle it on the sticks. Finish with a sprinkling of white (coarse) sparkling sugar







Cleo's Vanilla Glaze

Ingredients:


2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 tablespoon milk or cream (or almond milk)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (for a whiter glaze, use clear vanilla)

Directions: In a small saucepan, over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add milk and whisk in the powdered sugar, a little at a time. When all the sugar is melted into the butter and milk, remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. 




TEST ON A PLATE: Before drizzling on your cookie sticks, use a fork and drizzle a bit on a plate. If you’re having trouble drizzling it nicely, then it’s too thick, whisk in a bit more milk. If the glaze doesn’t harden fairly quickly after cooling, then it’s too thin. Add a bit more powdered sugar and continue to cook it down until it’s thick enough. 



FINAL TIP: If the glaze hardens in the pan or becomes crusty, whisk it over heat and add a bit more milk, and you will be able to return it to drizzling consistency again, and...eat with holiday joy!




To download these recipe 
in a free PDF document with
additional step-by-step photos, 
click here, and print, save,
or share it.

Click for Free Recipe PDF.




Quickie Decorating Tip


A little reminder of a common way you can make your tables appear more festive and romantic during the holiday season. Choose pretty glassware, making sure it's thick, sturdy glass. Fill or partially fill the containers with water and float tea candles in them. 

We use plain and scented tea candles: apple-cinnamon, berry, and French vanilla are all beautiful aromas for the holidays. Marc and I always have fun searching thrift stores for retro glassware of all shapes and sizes.







May your holidays be bright! 


New York Times bestselling author
of The Coffeehouse Mysteries and
Haunted Bookshop Mysteries



Cleo (Alice) with her husband Marc

Visit Cleo's online coffeehouse here.
And follow her at these links...




Our 20th 

Coffeehouse Mystery!

Bulletproof Barista

To Buy:

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Bulletproof Barista
includes a killer menu
 of delicious recipes!





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"This twentieth Coffeehouse mystery (after Honey Roasted) brings together the history of the shop, ripped-from-the-headlines plot elements, [and] the drama of on-site filming."








New 
Paperback Edition!



Includes a mini guide
to honey varieties
and a wonderful menu
of delicious recipes...



Click here or on the image above
for Cleo Coyle's Free Illustrated
Recipe Guide to Honey Roasted






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Mystery...

  

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145 comments :

  1. Two childhood memories: rum balls and a gumdrop tree. I always wanted them to be present but I didn't like the taste of rum or gumdrops. Yes, children make a lot of sense.

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  2. My favorite holiday memory was going to our Grandparent's farm. We took our presents with us & added them under the tree. Then when our Uncle arrived we got to open all our presents from everyone. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  3. Chanukah is my favorite holiday! My best memories are just being with family, lighting candles, and of course, eating latkas!
    meeshpsych@aol.com

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  4. My favorite holiday memory was spending it in Qatar when my daughter was stationed there in the Air Force. bcrossl

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  5. We had a loft bedroom upstairs overlooking the living room. I thought I heard Santa ( I was like 7) so I looked over the railing and I saw my mom and older brother placing presents under the tree and the tree topper on the tree. Boy did I get yelled at. Luckily, Santa still came for me with lots of presents. It's one of my favorite memories.

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  6. My favorite memories are baking cookies with my daughters for family and friends,

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  7. All I know is that lefse and Christmas were made for each other! jsmith3

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  8. Every Christmas Eve we go to our towns Christmas Village. Then we go home and have hot chocolate and open pjs. But one memory that stands out us my daughter spending hours assembling (and cursing the designers) a Playmobil set. I could have died laughing. She was exhausted and my grandson thrilled on Christmas morning.

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  9. My favorite memory was putting up our tree on Christmas Eve. We baked cookies and decorated the tree and drank hot chocolate and sang Christmas songs.

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  10. This past Christmas my son who was 34 years old lived alone and didn’t want to spend Christmas Eve by himself or wake up alone Christmas morning and asked if he could stay the night. I wish this Christmas he could ask me to spend the night but he passed in March of 2018 my only baby child.

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  11. Every Christmas Eve we go to our towns Christmas Village. Then we go home and have hot chocolate and open pjs. But one memory that stands out is my daughter spending hours assembling (and cursing) a Playmobil set. I could have died laughing. She was exhausted and my grandson thrilled on Christmas morning.

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  12. My favorite Christmas memory was my mom baking so many Christmas goodies. They were all delicious and I still make some of her recipes today.

    faithdcreech at gmail dot com

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  13. hernand
    I grew up in Southern California so a white Christmas was not exactly a normal experience for us but one year my parents managed pull together the money to rent a cabin in the mountains of Big Bear, California. There was snow which was so magical since until that point my sister and I had never seen snow. We had our first white Christmas. My dad even bought us a sled. I remember wondering how Santa had managed to get all our gifts to the mountains. We had a blast with the sled.

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  14. When we were youngin's, my sisters and I had each gotten a kitten not long before Christmas. We usually opened our gifts on Christmas Eve and the gifts from Santa on Christmas Day. I will never forget this year... our Dad woke us up (which is weird in itself, as what kind of kids were we that our Father had to wake us up on Christmas Morning?) Anywho, he came into our rooms to tell us to get downstairs because the cats peed all over our gifts! :O So of course we run downstairs practically in tears. Everything was perfectly fine but there were three huge stuffed bears sitting under the tree from Santa. That Dad... always the trickster.

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  15. I am doing at least one or two cookie exchanges this year - and this is a definite contender . . . thank you.

    pjcoldren[at]tm[dot]net

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  16. Hi Cleo,
    Not too many memories. When I was about 5 or so we lived over the family business. Our neighbors were Catholic and had a huge tree.
    Their daughter Patty was my best friend. Xmas morning her uncle came down from the roof on the access ladder. He was in a Santa suit and had pillow cases full of toys for both of us. We played dreidel together and ate potato latkes.

    NoraAdrienne

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  17. My favorite memory was visiting the Enchanted Village with my Grandfather. It was on the seventh floor of the Jordan Marsh store in Boston.

    jtcgc

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  18. When we were kids, we went to a family friend's house for Christmas Eve. There was plenty of food and kids to play with. The best part was when it started to snow. areewekidding(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  19. When I was about 12, my father purchased a half dozen cheap, pretty rings for my gift. But how to package them? He had the clever idea to find a twig and slide them on the knobby branch. When I handled the wrapped twig, I could not guess what it was.
    Sheknap

    ReplyDelete
  20. My favorite memories of the holiday season is when our whole family was at my house (l lived with my grandparents) for dinner and even the children were included in conversations that made us feel as we were already grown up!
    teddi1961(at)arcemont(dot)com

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  21. Helping my grandmother prepare dinner for the entire family for every holiday: Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

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  22. My favorite memory of Christmas was going to my grandmother's apartment & seeing all my aunts & uncles & cousins. We had wonderful & we got to open some of our presents then. Later we would all go to Midnight Mass. My second favorite memory is ice-skating with my Dad at Rockerfellow Center.

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  23. My favorite Chanukah memory is making latkes with my mother and enjoying the evening with family singing songs, lighting the menorah and telling stories. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

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  24. jec0988 ..... here is my family's favourite Christmas food memory: I wrote this poem when sharing memories with our kids after John (husband and father of our 3 children) passed away.

    Christmas Eve Dinner with Dad

    Who could envision such a feast
    A link to tradition for the season
    As history repeated itself each year
    We relished it all – it was our reason

    Sizzling little potatoes all sweet and golden brown
    Crackling pork roast glistening on the tray
    Tantalizing smells of succulent goose and duck
    And sweet and sour red cabbage made the day

    Topped off with a special dish of almond rice dessert
    Everyone searching for the solitary nut hidden
    Drizzled with decadent cherry sauce
    We devoured it all to win the gift that was given

    He prepared it all with love and expertise
    He loved our oohs and aahs and smiles of pleasure
    It was the highlight of our Christmas Eve
    A memory – his gift to us – to treasure

    © Jane December 20, 2010

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  25. jec0988 And this is my favourite memory of Christmas

    GRANDPA'S TEDDY BEARS

    From the time that they were babies
    Every Christmas, there would be
    That cuddly gift from Grandpa
    Underneath the Christmas tree

    He selected each one lovingly
    With special thought and care
    And brought them home to take their place
    For the grandchildren that were there

    One year the eldest was concerned
    That age would change the present
    But Grandpa reassured her - that
    Teddy bears were much too pleasant

    These teddy bears were his special gift
    And, as the children grew
    They always had their teddy bears
    To warm their hearts anew

    And now he’s gone – but memories stay
    As Christmas comes each year
    I think of him choosing just the right ones
    Those teddy bears that were so dear

    Dec 2010 © Jane Christensen

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  26. My favorite memory is awaiting the arrival of Sinter Klaas and his horses. We left wooden shoes at the door with carrots for his horses. We celebrated the secular tradition on December 6th and the Christian celebration on Christmas Day. servedo.....

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  27. My favorite holiday memory is visiting the Florida Botanical Gardens with my family. Every year it's beautifully decorated with Christmas lights, and there are musicians and other forms of entertainment. By the way, I'm reading Shot in the Dark for the second time and enjoying it! 1147mollybrown

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  28. Every year our Nana would give us Lifesaver books <3
    Donah42 at aol dot com

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  29. I love reliving the memory of participating in the Encinitas, California Christmas parades for three years. My real bearded Santa Claus husband and I as his Mrs. Claus, enjoyed every moment with the children and their families. mrsclau

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  30. When I was 16, I got two 8-track tapes taped together. One was The Steve Miller Band and I don't remember the other one, but when I pulled them apart, car keys dropped out. Even though I couldn't see anything like a new car out our front window, I ran outside in my pajamas, screaming! My new car was in our next door neighbor's driveway, and lots of our neighbors were outside watching and laughing at me going crazy. My new car was a 1978 Monte Carlo, and it was awesome - 8-track player and all! bobandc

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  31. My favorite holiday memory is the suspense.
    On Dec 1, the doors to the living room
    were closed and sealed. There was to be
    no peeking until Christmas morning.
    When I got up on Dec 25, the doors would
    be open and the living room would be
    ablaze with lights and gifts. The
    tree was decorated. Mother had
    made clothes for all of my dolls
    so they had new finery for the season.
    (And there would probably be a new
    doll as well. There were
    other gits depending on what
    was the "in" thing at the time.
    It was magical. txmlhl(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  32. abdella The first St Nicholas day with my husband, he put a gift in my shoe and when I slid my foot in my shoe, I screamed and jumped out of it. Had never celebrated St Nicholas day and did not know about it. He was laughing and I received a beautiful watch! It will always be such a special memory!

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  33. Great recipe, and I loved the other ones too. My favorite Christmas memory is when we used to drive home from my dad's parents on Christmas Eve night, listening to a radio station (WLS, maybe?) out of Chicago that we could hear all the way in Oklahoma. They tracked Santa's flight around the globe, which was neat back then, pre-internet. My first seven letters in my email are legally...Thanks!

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  34. My only sister, Rosemary, was a Christmas baby. She is 2 years older than me and will be 75 this year. Every Christmas we celebrated her birthday and both sides of the family came. She was never cheated of a present. Having the whole family together was the best since everyone is usually pulled in many directions for the holidays but we had Rosemary to thank for bringing all of us together. Sadly many are now gone to a better place but the memories are still fresh in my mind? My first 7 digit email is phoenix.

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  35. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  36. My favorite holiday memory is when we were young my mom would make homemade sugar cookie dough and then me and my sisters would get the tin of old metal cookie cutters and all kinds of sprinkles and decorations. Mom would roll out the dough and we would all get to cut and decorate the cookies. I miss those days. darholley

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  37. There was one year that in our stockings my sisters & I each had a bag of lettuce & a note from Santa that led us to the garage. In the garage was our new pet bunny. email- turtle6

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  38. Not really any fond Christmas memories from childhood. But, as a teen my friends wanted to go to midnight mass. They talked me into going by telling me there was a live manger & I could play with the animals. Well, mass was in Latin, so we sat there for 2 hrs. not having any idea what was going on! And, no, you weren't allowed to play with the animals. But, we did laugh about the whole thing afterwards.
    My favorite memory however, was probably 20 yrs ago. I was a waitress at IHOP & hubby was a cook at another restaurant. His work was closed on Christmas so my boss asked if he's be willing to come help out. Since I had to work anyway, he said yes. I worked 5 am to 6 pm. Hubby came in at 8 nor 9 am. When my boss told me to go home he told hubby to go with me & thanked us both (Id worked 4 hrs longer than scheduled). Well, the asst. manager didn't want either of us leaving, we argued & she threw a pie in hubby's face! And I got (temporarily) fired! The boss ended up firing the asst & called me back.We still laugh about that pie in the face!

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  39. On Christmas morning I would wait for everyone to get up, then Mom would put out trays of cookies and mugs of hot chocolate and we would all sit around the Christmas tree and take turns opening one gift at a time. Dad would be collecting the gift wrap in a garbage bag, Gram (she lived with us) would want to open each box and look at everything and My Mom would be taking tons of pictures of me and my brothers. Great memories...now it is so hard for Mom and Dad to get everyone together on a specific day. kjdugas

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  40. My favorite memories are of going to my Grandma's house to bake cookies. She was an excellent cook and we had so much fun. The best was when we got to direct the Christmas tree. She had these very old ornaments that she got from Marshall Field's in Chicago and they were just beautiful. Just watching them being unwrapped was so fun.
    patti.s@comcast.net

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  41. My favorite holiday memory is from when we lived in MA. Our town of Taunton does a tree lighting ceremony and festival every year on the town green and my family, best friend and I would walk down to watch. We'd buy dinner from the Kiwanis booth and watch the ice carving demonstration and my husband would always buy one of those cheesy toys on a stick they sell at parades. Now that we live back in NC, we go to Winterfest at Carrowinds as our NC version of it but, Taunton Green Tree Lightings will always be a favorite memory.
    marilar

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  42. they look great i miss my mothers cookes on the holidays

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  43. My family always had a big Christmas Eve party every year where we would exchange gifts and we always had Chili Cheese Hot Dogs as out “Christmas Dinner.” That is probably my favorite holiday memory.
    dear.morghan@gmail.com

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  44. I remember chopping up walnuts real fine so my grandmother could use them to stuff dates. Then, she'd let me roll them in sugar. She had a special wooden bowl for chopping the nuts. nwright

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  45. I don't see my comment, so I'm just wondering if it went through. (jozywails@gmail.com)

    ReplyDelete
  46. kathyk41434@ I knew it was Christmas when I could smell the first batch of swedish spritz cookies baking, the almond and butter goodness, and the smell still takes me back to all the Christmas's in my childhood.

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  47. My children's birthdays are around Hanukkah. Nothing like lighting the menorah and having them shout "Happy Birthday" and blow out the candles! cheers@M

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  48. My daughter takin her first steps on Christmas eve. Tattooe

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  49. My Dad always fixed grapefruits for breakfast which we had to eat before we could open our presents and after Dad went and picked up Uncle Bill. I anticipation was killing us as we could sit in the living room and see everything that Santa brought us and we couldn't play with it.

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  50. The Christmas I was six and we moved to a new army post in Illinois but our furniture ended up in California, I looked through all the closets and all eight rooms, but I knew there was no bike hidden in that very empty house. However, on Christmas day there was a new bike for me sitting beside our Christmas tree! And I was once again a faithful believer in Santa Claus! Ho! Ho! Ho! rebarge

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  51. Every Christmas Eve we had a church program, we all had a part to say or play and our church was decorated, no one had a lot of money but being together with family who came to watch and then have a late meal with a lot of laughter made the very best memories, I wish we still had that today. Miss the easier times.

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  52. My favorite Christmas memory was 34 years ago when my husband proposed to me. We lived 50 miles apart and only got to see each other on the weekends since he worked afternoons and I worked days. Being 28 years old and he was 30, discussion of marriage had entered into our discussions but nothing was firm. There were gifts exchanged between us and didn't think he was going to pop the question but surprise! Although this was my memorable, the most memorable came in 1986 when we were expecting our first child. Her due date was December 5th but she wasn't hearing anything about that. Christmas came with restrictions not to travel to far from the hospital so my parents and my husband's mother brought Christmas dinner to us. Jokes were made about riding down bumpy roads, etc. but the stubborn child didn't come until December 28th. This will always be my most memorable Christmas memory.

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  53. When I was a child (many, many years ago!!) the anticipation of Christmas is what I remember most.....not being able to fall asleep on Christmas Eve because I was so excited.sharonquiltsatyahoodotcom

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  54. Love your recipes! My favorite holiday memory is when my two youngest kids and my 2 oldest grandkids would help decorate my tree and we would turn the VCR/DVD player to Ernest Saves Christmas. We'd seen it many times before, but loved it in the background while decorating! One year, right after my divorce, I wasn't going to put up a tree and my adult daughter said, It'll be fun and this year we'll drink wine." I was not a drinker and 2 glasses down I coulds hardly stand up. Yeah, it was fun..,.. for her!! She laughed so hard she could barely help decorate! lol I don't do that anymore! nola@ma

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    Replies
    1. Nola - Congratulations to you! By now you know (by random draw), you've won our holiday giveaway. Marc and I hope you enjoy the prizes, and we thank you for sharing your memory with us.

      Marc and I also want to sincerely thank everyone who stopped by to share your holiday memories. We read every single comment, and we want you to know that you've lifted our spirits by sharing a bit of your lives and memories. We hope you'll stay in touch with us for more recipes, giveaway, and book news, and may you all find peace and joy in the coming New Year.

      ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
      “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
      HauntedBookshopMystery.com
      www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com
      Cleo Coyle on Twitter
      Friend or Follow Cleo Coyle on Facebook

      Delete
  55. Love gingerbread--can't wait to try these sticks...as for a favorite memory it's one that's become a tradition since I was a child: Watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while the fragrance of roasting turkey fills the air. Thanks for asking and Happy Thanksgiving. helenos

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  56. One favorite Christmas memory is the year my daughter and I baked and created an elaborate gingerbread house (all without a template). We just judged and made it work. What was so fun is the many mistakes, laughter and plain good time we had together making it.

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  57. I so appreciate you recognizing the Jewish Holidays is your blogs and newsletters. My favorite memories as a child was The Feast of the Seven Fishes. Eel was my favorite. My father made the balls rolled in honey with candy sprinkles. My favorite Hanukkah dessert is Apple Pie Rugelach.

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  58. One of my favorite memories was of having breakfast under the tree in the Walnut Room at Marshall Fields in Chicago. Tree was at least 10 stories tall. It wasn't until years later I found out my Dad had never gone because he was working. The last Christmas he was here I took him and we had a wonderful morning!!! Such a great memory.

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  59. We always did our Christmas on Christmas Eve with my cousins at our grandma's house. We'd wait in the back bedroom and listen while Santa was out in the living room, stomping around and ho-ho-ho-ing. One year Mom told me that my uncle had been Santa. I remember it always seemed like forever till Santa finally left and we could attack our presents. The recipe looks amazing, thanks for the giveaway entry! barbie17......ail.com (had to do more than 7 since I can imagine a lot of emails start the same as mine)

    ReplyDelete
  60. I still remember baking gingerbread cookies with my mother when I was little. She loved all kinds of Christmas baking and spent days making all kinds of goodies, especially anything with candied fruit. I suppose that is why I am one of those weird people who actually like fruitcake. Must be the Croatian blood in me.

    ReplyDelete
  61. My mom and I always baked Christmas cookies. There were special recipes we only made at Christmas. Rugelah cookies are still my favorite!
    cindy226

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  62. Our family has very SWEET memories of our mother making her Swedish Coffee cake. Also our Grandma made the Best cookies!! Just the family being all together still makes me feel warm & fuzzy! nschwen

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  63. Baking cookies and watching 25 days of xmas. Love the old xmas cartoons. I still do this now and my kids lobe it

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  64. irish84
    *******************
    2nd oldest of seven - we were stationed in England (Alconbury),my mom came walking up the street with the pram loaded with a doll house for my youngest sister <3

    ReplyDelete
  65. My fondest memory is decorating our small 3' artificial Christmas tree which was boosted up onto a box covered by a holiday cloth. The heavy lights would make it topple over several times a season. Makes me laugh to this day. Happy Holidays! bmalic610@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  66. My favorite Christmas memory is from just last year.... Every year my big (and very Polish) family gathers to make a giant batch of pierogi. Last year my little second cousins wanted to get involved and I showed them how to roll and cut the dough. It was so lovely to be able to pass on the tradition! Happy Thanksgiving all!

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  67. My aunt and uncle gave me a present Christmas eve (we usually got presents Christmas day) to give me patience for the wait. It was a wonderfully large teddy bear, about 4 feet tall!
    libbydo

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  68. I remember baking Christmas cookies with my Mom and Sister. We still make her recipes every year. It was a nice family day, my Sister and I still bake some of my Mom's cookie recipes.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  69. My fondest Christmas memory is one where my mom "flocked" our tree back in the "60s. The house just looked so beautiful that year and the presents were awesome. I don'y know why that sticks out, but it does. I have always had really great Christmases.

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  70. claudia. My fondest memories are of the holidays when my dad's youngest sister, her husband and kids, joined us. I remember the wonderful meals my mom fixed and the great times we had spending time with our cousins.

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  71. A favorite memory is going to my godparents' home, next door to us, exchanging gifts and seeing their tree, which was always done in blue. They had one of the angel decorations where the angels flew in circles, driven by the heat from small candles in the base. Wonderful, loving memories.

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  72. One of my favorite Christmas memories as a child was helping to decorate the Christmas tree on Christmas eve. Getting out the ornaments one by one and putting them on the tree then putting silver tinsel over the ends of the tree branches. My mom would then tell me that I needed to take a nap while she cooked supper. She would turn on the Christmas tree lights and turn off the rest of the lights in the living room. I would lie on the sofa and just look at the tree all sparkly and bright. Needless to say I napped very little but it did keep me quiet until supper was ready. sewmom55

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  73. My favorite childhood holiday memory is something I also did with my children. My mom always bought nuts for the holidays. She would carefully pry open the walnuts, remove the inside replacing it with coins wrapped in tissue paper, and the glue the nut together again. It was always a thrill to find a special nut with coins. blee309

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  74. My favorite holiday memory is going out in the mountains with my dad and mom and siblings to find our Christmas tree and collecting pecans to use in Mom's wonderful date nut log candy she only made at Christmas.

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  75. Checking out the local light shows with family.
    kckendl

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  76. I have so many favorite memories of Christmas. One of the best memories was our annual Christmas tree "hunt." We'd get our tree tag, drive deep into the mountains and search most of the day, trekking through snow that was as deep as my hips in our desire to find the perfect tree. Often, our tree that was so glorious on the mountain had to be held up with a system of wires once we got home, with the inevitable bald patch carefully concealed. I always loved the trips for our tree, and was proud of our find. Decorating the tree was a source of fun and family togetherness, and a sign that the Christmas season had finally begun.

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  77. My favorite memory was all the cooking prep on Christmas eve. Then family would all gather and we would play games until bedtime. Sleep was always difficult. So much excitement for Christmas morning! I can still remember the scents and sights surrounding those times although many family members are now gone, our memories staywith us.

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  78. I have a lot of good memories from my childhood at Christmas. A huge Christmas Eve party every year at my aunt's {my dad's sister} with our family and my aunt's husband's family. Christmas Day with mom's brother's family. Watching White Christmas every year with my parents. I also loved Robert Goulet singing Do You Hear What I Hear. Lou817b

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  79. My favorite Christmas memory was Santa (my uncle) would visit us on Christmas Eve and my cousins, sister and I would have to either sing a song or recite a poem before we received our gifts. My uncle also dressed up as Santa for my kids when they were little.
    Sand1948

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  80. One of my favorite memories was the year my 3 and 4 year olds unwrapped every present under the tree. I called my husband at work, he brought home enough wrapping paper to last for years and it did, lol. My brother came over and I rewrapped all of our presents and my brother wrapped his too.

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  81. My favorite memory of Thanksgiving was that my Grandmother gave me the wishbone from the turkey to dry out and paint. I painted it gold and hung it up with a red ribbon on our Christmas tree. For awhile I had several I kept in a box. When my family moved to another state, the box failed to come with us.
    jwisley(at)aol(dot)com

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  82. My earliest Christmas memory is when I about 3 years old. We lived in a trailer and on Christmas eve I was lying in bed and heard santas reindeer bells on the roof. I remember telling my mom, but no one believed me. That is a memory I have never forgotten.

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  83. My favorite memory of Thanksgiving was that my Grandmother gave me the wishbone from the turkey to dry out and paint. I painted it gold and hung it up with a red ribbon on our Christmas tree. For awhile I had several I kept in a box. When my family moved to another state, the box failed to come with us.
    jwisley(at)aol(dot)com

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  84. On Christmas Eve when I was five we brought gifts home from Grandma's house, put them under the tree and went to church. When we returned home we found that our cat had "read" his name on his gift and opened only it while we were gone!! I was just a kid so I thought he was so smart!! It turns out he could smell the catnip in the toy inside the package. egoehner(at)roadrunner(dot)com.

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  85. We would go to Midnight Mass for Christmas. Thanks for the chance. Maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  86. I remember one Christmas when I was 10 and my sister was 7. Daddy was in the army and couldn't be home. We went to my Grandmother's house. Our room had a fire place and they made a fire for us I tried so hard to stay awake. It was sad because Daddy wasn't there, the only Christmas that our family was ever separated! Santa came and left us plaid flannel shirts and jeans lined with the same flannel.

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  87. My memory is of when all my six daughters were at home and Christmas was fun and entertaining to say the least! Now they all have families of their own!
    jcook22@yahoo.com

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  88. The gingerbread sticks look yummy! I make fudge for my friends for Christmas!

    When one of my little brothers was about 2 or 3 years old he woke up the entire household on Christmas morning, at 3am, shouting: Santa's been here, Santa's been here! So, we all got up at 3am and celebrated Christmas with him... how could we do anything else!
    kjkoukla

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  89. My daughter was born a month early in time for Christmas. Surprise! What a wonderful surprise. Donamaekutska7@gmail.com

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  90. One of my favorite holiday memories was spending Christmas Eve at my maternal grandmother’s house in the Appalachian Mountains. With her nine kids and numerous grandchildren, there were often 30+ people in my grandma’s small house. Yet, it never felt crowded. I remember the hours of laughter, stockings hung all around the house because they wouldn’t all fit around the fireplace, and her special fried apple hand pies. It was the definition of joy to me as a child.

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  91. We had to wait for our father to go downstairs first and plug in the lights for the tree before we went down. I was always so excited to find the orange in the toe of my stocking.

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  92. Every year seems to bring new favorite memories. Last year it was having 4 of 5 great-grandchildren spend the holidays with us; so far this year it's having my son and grandson visit for Thanksgiving.
    sallycootie(at)gmail(dot)com

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  93. My favorite memory of Christmas is going to Midnight Mass with my mother and sisters then coming home to find Santa had visited and Dad was in the kitchen making Pizza Fritta as a special late night snack.

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  94. Our family decorating the freshly cut Christmas tree is my favorite Christmas memory. We carefully unpacked the vintage glass ornaments and placed them on the tree. Then we would put the tinsel on strand by strand. My father taught us well (he still loves to decorate his tree each year, he is 90, and I think his is always the most beautiful and full of memories). FabriCa

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  95. My favorite memories is making spritz Christmas cookies with my Mother and Sister. We would always use this Pyrex yellow bowl. Each of us had special jobs. As a little girl my job was to put the cherry "collars" on the Scottie dogs and add sprinkles to the Christmas tree. The house smelled delicious and my sister and I got to eat any broken cookies.

    My Mother passed this past year and I made the spritz coolies with my daughter. Of course we used the big yellow bowl.

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  96. My favorite holiday memory is when we accidentally got the squirrels drunk. My sister is a wonderful cook and baker. One year she gave us a chocolate rum cake. Not only was rum baked into it, but it had been soaking in it as well. It was to strong for us, so I suggested to our boys that we give it to the animals for a Christmas treat. The squirrels were eating away. Shortly thereafter, the squirrels were chasing each other and trying to run up the trees. They would go up a couple of feet, run around the trunk, then fall off. One squirrel literally tried to go up, but feel backwards. It was then I realized that the alcohol had not evaporated completely since the last dousing and that the squirrels were drunk.

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  97. My grandmother made the best date nut log. Everyone would come by her home for that candy during the holidays.
    mi3sons.

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  98. poppyfoutoulis@hotmail.com - FAMILY COOK OFFS - When my grandparents and Father were still with us, our families would hold a major cook-off whenever there was a celebration on. My Grandmother was adored for her magnificent cooking - before each major party, the girls from the families would be given one of her recipes - from starters to sweets - and off we'd go! Of course the trick was to make them delicious enough to eat but not too good as to show our dear Oma up! The men would be the judges and after a few drinks and all the amazing food, you can imagine the laughs we all had around THAT table! :) Throw a few musos in the mix, and a great time was always had by all! Thank you for your fabulous talents! Enjoying the latest "The Ghost and the Bogus Book Seller" - the entire series brings me so much joy!

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  99. This is a memory of a memory as it happened during WW 2. I was four years I
    was only four, and we lived in the small town of Clyde, Kansas, down the street from my grandparents. My father was away serving in the navy, as were my two uncles. We were all at my grandparents home and my grandfather had passed out all the presents, when my grandmother brought out three handmade Raggedy Ann dolls, one for each of the girls. Mine had dark hair to match mine. My mother said I grabbed her and announced to all resent: Oh, I shall call her Beloved Belinda! Such drama from a 4 year old!

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    Replies
    1. what a super story to share! love the picture it evokes and warm memory for the family to have.

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  100. Growing up, my grandparents would come to our house very earlier Christmas morning. It was a wonderful time. I would snuggle in bed with my dad, as mom was up making coffee. My dad would tell me Christmas stories and we would wait to hear my grandparents car. One year we swore we heard sleigh bells, which would not be possible, as we lived in the city!

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  101. When we were little, my sister and I were always excited to go to our dad's company Christmas celebration. We got to dress up in our holiday dresses and shoes and marveled at the festive, glamorous decorations. My favorite part was the yummy gingerbread served each year - it was moist, spicy, and the embodiment of the Christmas holidays!

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  102. When I was about 7 or 8 my family went to my grandparents for Christmas. I was not happy about leaving my Christmas tree and all the trimmings at home. When it wast time to open presents - one was a good sized box but not heavy at all. I was very puzzled about it but torn in anyway. Lo and behold, Santa had sent me a picture via satellite of a brand new bicycle sitting under my Christmas tree at home!

    missrscar

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  103. My happiest and fondest memories are driving every Christmas Eve to my paternal grandparents house - my grandmother was so proud of her Aluminum tree with the color wheel!! We always had chicken & shrimp gumbo and warm eggnog - the house was small, but so cozy and warm.

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  104. My fond memories are of when my family gathered for Christmas Eve at my grandparents house. My Grandfather always had to 'work' while Santa Claus came to deliver the Santa gifts. One of the family treats she always made was Chex Mix. While I didn't like it, it was one of the required things to make it a christmas celebration. The other holiday fun was when I helped her decorate her Christmas tree and her collection of tree ornaments. :)

    krys.db

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  105. Standing around the piano that my great-grandfather played and singing Christmas carols.
    DeesCra

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  106. My favorite holiday memory is when my kids and their great aunt would make Christmas cookies each year. They had so much fun each December just being with her and making not only great tasting cookies but memories to last forever. By the end of the cookie decorating, her kitchen would be very colorful but she never got mad. She loved letting the kids be kids.
    scarlet

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  107. Thank you all so much for sharing with us! Marc and I are LOVING your comments. Some of your memories are touching, some hilarious, and all of them have lifted our spirits. If you wish to add a comment below mine, you still have time to share. The drawing for our prize package will take place on Christmas night 12/25 at midnight.

    And if you need your own spirits lifted, by all means read these holiday memories. They're beautiful. I'll be back again soon!

    ~ Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
    HauntedBookshopMystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter
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  108. One of my favorite childhood memories is of my great uncle Bill giving a box of Reese's Peanutbutter Cups minis to us 5 kids every year. We had to share it but we didn't care. He was a nice old man. Thank you so much for this chance. pgenest57(at)aol(dot)com

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  109. My step daughter would love the gingerbread sticks. I think I'll add a little coffee to the icing. She loves coffee sweets.

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  110. I would have to say the most special memory was the last Christmas before my husband passed away when he gave me an eternity ring. kittygirl15401(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  111. My favorite memory is of my whole family going to Grandma's house on Christmas eve every year. We all would take present's for Grandma. She was a very fun lady! She got the usual scarves, handkerchiefs, perfume, etc. but it was always fun to see her expression when she would open it up! Her surprise and satisfaction at getting something from all of the relatives, which was a lot! We would all bring something for dinner and eat at her big dining room table. The little kids would eat at the kids table in the living room. It was a special time. On our way home, I would fall asleep in the back seat of the car. My dad would say, "Wake up Shelly, Santa just went by in his sleigh!" I would struggle to sit up, rub my sleepy eyes, press my nose to the window, peeking out at the dark sky, squinting to see Santa, saying "Where? where? where? Daddy?" Then he would say, "Oh no! You just missed him. See that puff of clouds over there, he just slipped around the corner of that big cloud." My mom would be stifling a giggle, my brothers would elbow me and I would lay back down and go back to sleep. My dad would carry me inside the house when we got home and put me to bed. I had such good parents, relatives and a loving, religious Grandma. I felt loved, happy and cozy in my warm bed, with good food in my belly from the luscious Christmas dinner at Grandma's house from all the laughing and eating we did together. Those were the magical days when I was kid.

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  112. My favorite memories are of picking up my parents to come share Christmas morning with us and how they enjoyed our time together.

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  113. My favorite memory is the Christmas eve my daughter took her first steps and started walking. Best one ever!

    Tattooedmommy06@yahoo.com

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  114. My favorite memory was Christmas Eve. Eating snacks, going and looking at Christmas lights/decorations (we always went to the same house), worried that Santa would come before we got home, watching Rudolph then off to bed!
    astrocat99(at)earthlink(dot)net

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  115. My favorite memory is of the year we took our children to see Santa at the local grocery store. We told them that the way they would know if it was the real Santa was if he knew their names without them having to tell him. They were in awe when he not only knew their names, but what they wanted for Christmas! We went from there to the bank where they wouldn't have anything to do with Santa since they knew the real one was at the grocery store and they'd already seen him! (Oh, the joys of living in a small town where your friend is one of the local Santas!)

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  116. My best Christmas memory is when our home burned to the ground and we lost everything. unbeknownst to us children, our dad went out and bought red and green paper and a very scrawny tree, scissors, glitter and glue. we 3 kids made tree garland and decorated that tree and it was the neatest tree we'd ever had.
    great memory!

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  117. My fav Christmas memory is everyone bundling up to go for a drive as a family to look at the Christmas lights around town. Then we would come home and have cookies and hot chocolate before bed.

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  118. Love the gingerbread cookie recipe. My mom's recipe for gingerbread cookies is an old Italian recipe. We make up the dough and then shape it inot 6" x 3" bars, bake it and then cut the logs so they look like a biscotti cookies. They're delicious.

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  119. I wouldn't put all the children's gifts under the tree until they went to bed on Christmas eve. The look on their faces when they saw presents piled high on Christmas morning was priceless. The gingerbread cookies look great.

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  120. My uncle would dress up as Santa on Christmas Eve and we would have to sing a Christmas song or recite a poem to receive our gifts. Fun memories.
    Sand1948(at)Gmail(dot)com

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  121. Spending the day with family, who are now far, far away.

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  122. Remembering my mother making molasses taffy and pulling the taffy outside at night in the cold, cold southwest Virginia weather.
    Janet (janetr@abbe-lib.org)
    Aiken County Public Library
    314 Chesterfield Street SW
    Aiken, SC 28901

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  123. My favorite Xmas memory was carrying the Baby Jesus at Midnight Mass when I was a kid. thanks for the chance. Maceoindo(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  124. My favorite holiday memories are going back home when my parents were alive and getting the whole family together! Such fun. mjhopper(at)cox.net

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  125. Some of my favorite Christmas memories don't necessarily take place just on Christmas Eve or Day. Most of them take place in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Being in the living room, lights out except for the tree, just watching it. Watching all those Christmas movies or specials (and the parades on Christmas Day, especially the Disney one) with my Mama and Nana. Unwrapping the Hershey Kisses for the peanut butter blossoms that we were making (and trying to "sneak" a couple, and trying to make sure I limited it to only a couple). Blackfu

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  126. Gingerbread cookies look great! I loved all the preparations for Christmas...decorating the tree, Christmas programs and then going to my grandparents.

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  127. My favorite Christmas memory is when everyone in the family gets together to make Chinese Winter Dumpling soup. This is the only time when we catch up with everybody's life.

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  128. Marc and I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you who stopped by to share your holiday memories with us. We read (and LOVED) every single comment. You've lifted our spirits by sharing your lives with us, and we wish we could send you all our holiday prize package. Alas, only one winner was selected. By random draw, that winner is Nola Nottingham of IN. Congratulations, Nola!

    We hope you will all stay in touch with us for more recipes, giveaways, and book news, and may you all find peace and joy in the coming New Year.

    With love,
    Cleo Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    “Where coffee and crime are always brewing…”
    HauntedBookshopMystery.com
    www.CleoCoyleRecipes.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter
    Friend or Follow Cleo Coyle on Facebook

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