We have been working hard this week baking SO many cookies to put together little Cookie Basket Christmas gifts for our homeschool teacher, Ms. Natalie, and our piano teacher, Ms. Bayleigh. We also made a Cookie Box to bring into my work for my co-workers.

The kids were all big helpers and had lots of fun decorating. I loved how much they were into it and how long it kept them occupied for.

To keep the mess to a minimum, we rolled out our large paper on the table to work on. This is one of my favorite hacks! It makes the situation so much less stressful. Kids can also color on the paper while they are waiting. If you’re working in a group setting you can use it as a way to organize whose cookies are whose, what types of cookies are available to work with (Gingerbread, Sugar, etc.), or ingredients for allergy purposes.

I think that the kids did a really great job decorating. They really put a lot of effort into each cookie.

Cookies Boxes

This year we included:

• Snowballs • Gingerbread Men • Sugar Cookies with M&M • Peppermint Fudge • Chocolate Crinkles • Decorated Sugar Cookies & Gingerbread Men • Sourdough Gingerbread Biscotti

We had a lot of fun putting these together! I think they look adorable. I especially like how the box for my co-workers really shows what all is included in the box. I think next year I’d rather do all boxes than baskets for this reason. Mia asked if we can make this a new tradition for our family. We will definitely have to start planning earlier next year to increase our variety. This year, we just worked with what we had available on hand in our pantry. I’d really like to include some fruit ones next year, and a few other treats.

Ella’s Favorite: Sugar Cookies • Mia’s Favorite: Chocolate Crinkles • Sasha’s Favorite: Sugar Cookie • Athena’s Favorite: Snowballs • Moses’ Favorite: Sugar Cookies • Mama’s Favorite: Peppermint Fudge • Dad’s Favorite: Peppermint Fudge

Gingerbread Homes

Each kid made their own Gingerbread House with Ms. Natalie for a Christmas activity before winter break began. I did not know this was our activity or I would have made sure Mia came. We did bring home a plateful of treats for her though. It was only Ella & Sasha’s classes today, but I like to bring the Littles so they can free play while the other kids are at their classes.

Some of the cookies broke in the process of trying to separate them. We were able to make the best of the situation and still make them work. I especially liked the little scenes that Ella made. I thought that was really creative.

The important thing is we had a lot of fun! I think they all turned out super cute and they were yummy! These cookies from the kits had a much more mild gingerbread taste to them than the ones we make at home, but I think that’s probably good for kids. Gingerbread can be a bit spicy for kids who aren’t used to a lot of spices. Next year, I’d love to try making our own Gingerbread Homes from scratch! I think that would be an extra special Christmas memory for us.

Until next time ♡ Mama Morozov