Christmas Cookies - Christmas Wreaths & Nut Butter Balls

Growing up we enjoyed making Christmas cookies with my Mom. We knew the "hiding place" where she stored the cookies, so would steal some nibbles when we could! The Nut Butter Balls below is my Mom's recipe and one of my all-time favorites! The Christmas Wreath cookies add a lot to any plate of homemade cookies. I carried on the tradition of making Christmas cookies with my kids. Their favorite part was decorating with sprinkles! Why not make some memories and make some Christmas cookies of your own!

Christmas Wreaths

Christmas Wreaths
1/2 cup butter
30 large marshmallows
1 1/2 teaspoons green food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups cornflakes cereal
2 tablespoons cinnamon red hot candies

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows, and cook until melted, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in the food coloring, vanilla, and cornflakes.

2. Quickly drop heaping tablespoonfuls of the mixture onto waxed paper, and form into a wreath shape with lightly greased fingers. Immediately decorate with red hot candies. Allow to cool to room temperature before removing from waxed paper, and storing in an airtight container.

Nut Butter Balls

Nut Butter Balls
1/4 lb butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose floor
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar



1. Mix butter and vanilla until creamy.

2. Combine granulated sugar, flour and walnuts and blend into butter mixture. Mix WELL.

3. Chill dough until firm enough to handle.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

5. Using fingers, shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until VERY light brown. While cookies are still warm, roll all in powdered sugar. Then roll all again a second time.

Images, Christmas Wreath recipe  from http://allrecipes.com

December Euchre Party Theme

Euchre Tournament
In December we celebrate Christmas so that's what we think of. If you celebrate Hanukkah or something else, then that's what you think of. Whatever you celebrate, what a great theme for a party!!

When I did my daytime ladies Euchre group for December, we were all decked out for Christmas - plates, napkins, tablecloth, decorations and of course Poinsettias! We have several ladies in the group who like to bake, so I took advantage of their culinary talents and had them  bring some goodies for the group. As you can see, we had a beautiful display of a variety of YUMMY cookies. We all enjoyed sampling them!! My favorite Christmas cookies are the Nut Butter Balls. Another cookie that adds a lot to a dish of Christmas cookies are Christmas Wreaths.

Five Favorites - Christmas

 
Christmas is a special time of the year! Here are some of my favorites for Christmas ...


1. Our Nativity

Christmas Nativity
Our Nativity is one of my favorite things of Christmas! When we first got married, we purchased these figurines from a catalog. They were so beautiful that I also purchased a set for my parents and grandparents. When my children were younger, they had their own nativity with pieces that they could touch. There is something peaceful about gazing upon this beautiful scene as we remember the TRUE reason for the season!

2. Family

Family
Christmas is a time for family! I realize that for some the "expectations" of the season can be a lot and family gatherings can be a challenge. These are times we can extend the "spirit of Christmas" to others. We enjoy celebrating Christmas with our families. There is something special about seeing the "wonder" in the eyes of the children!

3. Holiday Movies

Christmas Movies
Some of the cable TV channels like ABC Family and Hallmark have special movies on the month of December. When my children were young, we recorded some of these favorite movies and only brought them out to watch at Christmastime. They are heart warming and cute stories. There are still new TV movies shown each year before Christmas. So even though my children are now older, I still enjoy watching these movies when I can!




4.  Carols

Christmas Carols
I am not a Christmas carol "fanatic" that listens to carols from November 1 when one of our local radio stations starts playing them!?! But I do enjoy the carols of the season especially when baking or entertaining. We have an internet radio and listen to Pandora so get a nice variety of carols and not the same old usual ones over and over.



5. Decorations

Christmas Decorations
I'm not HUGE into Christmas decorations, but do enjoy some. This is our mantle. In the evening, I especially enjoy the glow of soft white lights with the fireplace and no other lights on. When I told my husband I wanted to wrap the pictures over our mantle for Christmas, he very creatively made styrofoam Christmas "covers" that we can very easily place over our pictures each year.

                                  
  Comment below ...
on some of your Christmas favorites ...
 
 
Image from http://www.ldsmediatalk.com
Image from http://www.christmastvhistory.com

Image from http://www.hdwallpapersinn.com 


Wizard Card Game

Wizard
We have played a FUN card game called Wizard for at least 10 years with friends. Over the last year we introduced it to some other friends and they enjoyed playing it also. Last week my nephew came over for dinner to visit while my daughter was home from college. We played Wizard after dinner with him. It is so addicting that he texted me to bring it to our Thanksgiving family gathering so we could all play again! LoL
So I wanted to let you know about it if you are looking for a FUN group card game or a gift for someone. Wizard is Hearts and Euchre with a twist. It's the "ultimate trump game" and a FUN game for any group!! As Games Magazine said in their glowing review, "Probably the most addictive family activity since eating."

How to Play

The 60-card deck includes the 52 standard cards plus four Wizards and four Jesters. The Jesters are lowest in value, followed by two up to ace, with Wizards highest in value. The object of the game is to correctly predict the EXACT number of tricks you will take each round. You receive points for being correct and lose points for being incorrect and the person with the most points wins the game.
Dealing
On the first deal each player receives one card. Two cards on the second deal, three on the third and so on.  After the deal, the next card is turned up to determine the trump suit. For some rounds of each game there is no trump.
Bidding
Each player in turn beginning to the left of the dealer bids the number of tricks they will take. We play with a little "twist" that if the number of bids equals the number of cards, everyone gets another card. That "spices" things up so not everyone will make their bid. LoL The Deluxe Edition contains 6 bid indicators so the players can mark their bids but not share their bids with each other.
Playing
Play begins to the left of the dealer. Any card may be led. Players must follow suit if possible. If a player cannot follow the suit led, they may play any other suit, including trump. A Wizard or Jester may be played at ANY time, even if the player is holding a card of the suit led. Tricks are won by the highest card of the suit led or by the highest trump or by the first Wizard. The taker of a trick leads to the next trick. Wizards beat trump and are valuable not only for winning the given trick, but for taking the lead for the next trick. Jesters always lose, but they're just as important as Wizards; they can get you out of the lead when you don't want any more tricks and they can let you save your trump or other sensitive cards for later.
Scoring
For correctly  taking the number of tricks bid, a player scores 20 points plus 10 additional points for each trick taken. If a player does not take the number of tricks bid, they lose 10 points for each trick over or under their bid. The person with the most points after all rounds have been played is the winner.

Wizard comes with a score pad, but my "Excel Guru" husband created a Wizard Scoresheet that can be used for a max of 8 players playing up to 10 rounds. Click here for the Wizard Scoresheet. With this Wizard Scoresheet we go from dealing one card to ten cards (or the highest you can go with the number of players that are playing) and then back down to one. For your highest round, there is no trump.
"Wizard" is a commercial version of the traditional game known as "Oh Hell". Number Of Players: 3 to 8    Recommended Ages: 10 and up

Click below for Wizard Game information on Amazon.com
        Wizard Card Game
     Wizard
        Wizard
Give  Wizard a try with some of your friends and post a comment to let us know how you liked it!! 
Images from http://amazon.com/

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