Christmas Treats! It's time to plan!

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Home made Christmas goodies are half the fun of Christmas!  By the end of November I'm thinking about which candies and cookies I'll make THIS year.  Some tried before aren't favorites so we won't bother with them... some are so much tradition they're hard to get out of. :)   Like FUDGE!   My husband makes the best fudge!  I don't even attempt it... that's his territory & I just stay out of the way. LOL   Personally, one of my favorite verses in the Bible is Ecclesiastes 3:1....   it says "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."   In my own twisted interpretation of that, I figure we are just heading into the Season for Chocolate.   :)



The photo above is from goody trays made 2 years ago.  (last year I had a 6 month old who loved to be held so not as much time to cook!... this year he'll just hang on my leg while I cook. lol )   We have on that tray:  Caramels in the middle, raspberry marzipans near the caramels, chocolate dipped Ritz crackers - mint flavored if I remember right, Spritz cookies, Snowball cookies (other people call these Mexican Wedding cookies or Pecan Sandies), Double Cruncher Cookies, fudge, toffee or cracker candy (hard for me to tell those apart in this picture) and caramel & chocolate dipped pretzel rods.(wiping the drool from my chin now!)


I think I want to do all of those again this year.  I also want to try divinity.  I've never been good at it - only tried it a few times and only had it turn out right once.  Most years I prefer to wait and see if my Mother-in-Law makes some and sends some to share. :)  This year I think I'll dip the caramels in chocolate.  My Mom makes a Pecan Log to die for.   Just melts in your mouth.  I need to have her teach me how to do those as well.  She makes them ahead and freezes them so I could do those this next week.

So on my Candy and Cookie list this year we have:


Cookies:
Double Crunchers
Snowballs
Spritz
Pinwheels


Candy:
Fudge
Caramels - plain and chocolate dipped
Chocolate and Caramel dipped Pretzels
Chocolate Mint Ritz
Marzipan (this is a cheating kind using Jello, coconut & sweetened condensed milk)
Toffee
Cracker Candy
Reece's Candy (probably...this one isn't a "have to have")
Divinity
Pecan Logs



What do you think?  Am I missing something important?  Something I should leave out?  What are your favorites that I might like to try?  I know my sister Sandy brought some Cranberry Pistachio Fudge to our Thanksgiving dinner and I HAVE to get her recipe for that. (Dh will still make it lol)


Good thing I have a few days to ponder this important Christmas issue.  LOL!

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