Traditions

It's the season for some traditions don't you think? I grew up with a few traditions like always going to my grandparents, and holding our annual Christmas party downstairs. Always a bowl of spicy chex mix on the bar and punch made out of Squirt and juice.

Now that I'm married we've made a few traditions of our own. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE Christmas. So of course the Christmas tree has to go up right after Thanksgiving. As soon as I can get away with it.

Another tradition is new jammies for the whole family that we open on Christmas eve. The whole idea was to have nice, warm, comfy jammies and of course to look cute for those Christmas morning pictures. No more half dressed shots! Another favorite of mine that I hide waaaay back in the freezer so no one can see, is a carton of Dyrers special addition Peppermint ice cream. This is sooo stinkin good! And half the fat of regular so that means we can have an extra large bowl of it right?

Another great tradition is Cottage Cheese cookies. Your probably thinking what the heck? Cottage cheese? That's not Christmasy. I'm not really sure why they became our favorite Christmas treat but they are so good you just can't eat one. People are always surprised by how good they are and really, you can't taste the cottage cheese. Promise!

This recipe came from my mil. A few years ago she made all of our families a cookbook with some of her best recipes for Christmas.

Cottage Cheese Cookies

3 1/2 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 tsp. vanilla

5 1/2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/3 cup shortening

2 tsp baking POWDER

2 cups cottage cheese

1/2 cup walnuts (optional. We've never made them with the nuts but I bet they

wouldn't' be too bad.)

Mix all ingredients in a big bowl (when it means big bowl, get a HUGE bowl. This makes a lot!) by hand or heavy duty mixer. Chill over night. (I'll be honest. We're lucky if these make it into the fridge for an hour. Still good!)

Roll into balls. Roll into powdered sugar. Press down a bit (not too flat)

Bake at 325 for 10 minutes on greased pan. (or non stick)

This recipe does make quite a bit but you'll be glad you made it all. You can share some with your friends! Now that I've shared some of my Christmas traditions, why don't you share some of yours? And don't forget to check back on Friday for an awesome give away we are having!