When I take a few minutes to package my cookies like little presents, or put them in a box tied with a ribbon, they just look special. Don’t get me wrong...I’ve put cookies in a paper bag and handed them over like a sack of potatoes! But I decided long ago that the cookies deserved better. So even if I am just putting them in paper bag, I try to make the bag look like a gift. The easiest way to do that is to fold the top of the bag over, punch two little holes in the flap and then thread a piece of string or raffia twine through the holes and tie it in a bow.

On days that my mother would make Aunt Gertie’s “Two-Hour Cinnamon Rolls” all of us kids couldn’t wait to have one as soon as they were cool enough to bite into. They smelled divine and the gooey caramel-nut topping, mixed with the yeasty cinnamon rolls, so-o-o delicious. These rolls were one of my favorite treats as a child. If there were any left the next day (a rare occurrence), they were even good cold! But usually my brother polished them off before the rest of us had a chance.

When my great niece was two years old she met Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. He actually showed up at our house! She was terrified. To her, he was not a “jolly old elf.” He was a giant and a scary dude. That was the last time he appeared at our holiday gathering!