A Few of My Favorite Christmas Things

As my contribution to The Virtual Cookie Exchange I get to share one of my favorite Christmas wallhangings that we've used as a family for many years. It's a modified Eleanor Burns pattern for a Log Cabin Christmas tree. I made the tree over 30 years ago when I was first learning quilting and my husband and I enjoyed it as is for a year or two. Then when the children started coming, I wanted an advent calendar, so ...


...I added the cross-stitched numbers and made the plastic canvas ornaments.





The ornaments are openable and throughout the years I've put a variety of little paper slips into them saying things like "Set up the tree," "Put up window lights," "Set up Princess's nativity," "Bake Sour Cream Cookies," "Open stockings," "Go caroling," etc. Often the activity for the day would be based on a Bible verse such as "I am the light of the world" describing the Savior whose birth we celebrate. We'd read the passage and then we'd put up the window lights or whatever activity fit somewhat with that day's reading.

This was more work than the typical candy-a-day advent calendars, but I didn't want so much sugar happening, and I wanted us to remember the true significance of the season.



Another quilt that I really like for our Christmas season is a lap-sized scrappy Star Log Cabin quilt that decorates the couch or large easy chair in our cozy living room.



My favorite wallhanging quilt is a collaboration between my mom and me. As I was helping her clean out some of her crafting stuff, I managed to inherit a crewel work of the nativity that she'd done and, serendipitously, I was doing a block of the month at my local quilt shop that went perfectly with the colors she'd used on her crewel.


I added the embroidered corner blocks to reflect Isaiah 9:6.





To finish off, let me share our favorite cookie recipe (it is, after all, called a virtual COOKIE exchange):

Sour Cream Cut-out Cookies

Soften 1 c. butter.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (about 176 C).

Cream: 1 c. softened butter
              3/4 c. sugar
Blend in: 1 egg yolk
                1 t vanilla
                1/3 c sour cream

Gradually blend in:
               3 c. flour
               1 t cinnamon
               1/2 t salt
               1/4 t baking soda
Roll out and cut into shapes. Bake for 10-12 minutes till very lightly browned.

Sometimes we make silhouette cookies by adding raw chocolate cookie dough shapes on top of this dough while raw and baking them into double layer cookies. Or sometimes we put the raw chocolate dough on top of sour cream dough and roll into a pinwheel before baking.

Chocolate Cut-out Cookies

Soften 1/2 c butter
Cream: 1/2 c softened butter
             1 c sugar

Blend in: 1 egg
                2 T milk

Add:     1/4 t salt
             6 T cocoa
            2 c flour
Chill for half an hour. Roll out and cut in shapes (make smaller than or same as Sour Cream Cut-out shapes). Place Chocolate cut-outs on top of Sour Cream cut-outs, pressing into dough slightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

These cookies are not overly sweet, which is how our family likes them.

I hope I've given you some fun ideas to make your Christmas season even more enjoyable.




38 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing and those the recipes look good.

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    1. I enjoyed getting to share this and the cookies are DEFINITELY good. :)

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  2. I love your advent calendar idea. I am more of an "activities" person than a "things" person myself, and yes, it might be a little more work but it creates lots of lovely memories. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. We have enjoyed reliving the memories over the years.

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  3. I like your Advent ornaments. One year I used a mitten shape and created a garland that had 24 mittens with different activities, similar to yours... bake cookies, wrap gifts, deliver cookie plates, etc. Fun! Thanks for sharing.
    MelvaLovesScraps(at)NolanQualityCustoms(dot)com

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  4. What beautiful holiday quilts and oh, those cookies sound great!

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    1. Those cookies are definitely great! My mouth waters just thinking of them. :)

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  5. Your Advent piece is wonderful! How fun! And I love the wall hanging with the name of Christ from Isaiah ... I just covered that passage of Scripture in the Advent Bible study I'm doing. Your cookies sound yummy -- thank you for sharing!! :)

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    1. That passage is so encouraging and hopeful. Hope your Christmas is merry!

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  6. That sour cream cookie recipe sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe. The quilt with the crewel section your mother made is such a treasure and so beautiful...love it! Your advent calendar is one I've never seen and adding the little notes inside is a sweet idea. Thank you so much for sharing your Christmas recipes and projects with us!

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    1. It's a pleasure to share, especially the collaboration with my mom with the crewel and quilting. I'm so tickled every year with how it worked out.

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  7. Hello! Thank you so much for sharing the recipes. We used to make sour cream cookies when I was much younger, and now I wonder why we got away from it. I love your idea for the Advent calendar using tasks instead of candy. What a great way to tie everything together with the true reason for the celebration and season. ~smile~ Roseanne

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    1. I hope I've inspired you to make Sour Cream cookies again as well as to think of some fun memory-making advent activities of your own.

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  8. What special Christmas quilts you have! I love the one made with your mom's crewel work scene especially. Your cookie recipes sound delicious!

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    1. Yeah, that quilt makes me smile all the time...as do the cookies. :)

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  9. I love your advent calendar with the ornaments that decorate the tree and the notes for activites inside. It's hard to find small things to go into advent calendars but I agree with you that candy is not the best option.

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    1. We used to divide up different parts of our decorating, ie. setting up each child's special nativity set on different days (with six children, that took up almost a week's worth of activities), or putting up the tree, or putting lights in the windows, to really create a lot of activities besides things like caroling with the church, piano recitals, etc.

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  10. Love your advent calendar!!! Thank you for the two cookie recipes...I'v saved them both!!

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  11. What great tips for using the sour cream cookie recipe with the chocolate. I loved your Advent Tree and the story you shared with us. You did a great job of adding the numbers and the ornaments.

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    1. Thank you. I probably should confess that I didn't get it all done in one year. :)

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  12. Thank you for sharing your Christmas traditions in the form of quilts with us. Your mom's crewel is such a wonderful keepsake. Oh and then there is the delicious sounding cookie recipe. YUM

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    1. Since people keep saying how good those cookies sound, I may have to get up and go make some. :)

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  13. Thanks for sharing your lovely Advent calendar.

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    1. It's a pleasure to share with you as well as with my family and friends.

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  14. Your advent calendar is great, the project with your mother is awesome too. The cookies look yummy

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    1. Thank you! I really need to get up and go make some of those cookies. :)

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  15. Mmmmm, those cookies sound delicious. I love how you altered that Christmas tree quilt and made it into an Advent Calendar. The way you did so was quite clever. The other quilts that you shared are very pretty too.

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    1. Thank you. I enjoy personalizing things for the way our family does things.

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  16. What a wonderful way to make an advent calendar. Such a beauty. Love all your Christmas quilts and that sour cream cookie recipe is a must try for sure. Thank you.

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    1. Thank you. I hope your family enjoys the cookies as much as we do.

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  17. Thanks for sharing your recipes - those cookies sound wonderful! I think we may try those out!! I love your Christmas quilts and the addition of the cross stitch advent calendar is great!

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    1. Thank you! You won't regret trying the cookies. :)

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  18. Thank you for sharing the pretty crafts and cookie recipe. All are very festive.

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    1. I hope you have a very festive Christmas celebration with great cookies and decor. :)

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  19. Thanks for sharing both recipes. Your Nativity wall hanging is pretty.

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  20. Love your log cabin Christmas tree/advent calendar. What a great way to celebrate the reason for the season. Your other quilts are beautiful, too. Thank you for the delicious cookie recipe.

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