Holiday greetings from maternity leave

An update on what I'm baking, gifting, and browsing this season.

Hello from my cozy newborn bubble! That sounds lovely and stress-free, doesn’t it? In reality, I am stressed. We have a lot going on, and I will share a more thorough update along with more newsletters in 2025 (I hope!). I miss writing here, and I miss you all—so for today, here’s a brief peek into my holiday prep including delicious baked goods, carefully selected books, and links equivalent to peering in frosted window displays.

2024 Christmas Cookie Selection

I didn’t think I would find much time to bake with a newborn and toddler in the house this year, but since my husband is still on paternity leave, it was manageable! It required every ounce of patience to let my eager child help, but I did that, too. Maybe he will grow to love baking and cooking for loved ones as I do—at the very least I’ll make sure he knows the basics—but at this stage, it’s more about the quality time.

• Andes Mint Chocolate Cookies. We made these every year when I was a kid, and they are still my #1 favorite holiday treat.

  • Tip: Andes Mints aren’t usually in the candy aisle. Check the end caps or holiday section when shopping.

• Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Maple Glaze. My dad is gonna love these.

• Marbled Sugar Cookies. My three-year-old has been asking to decorate gingerbread men for weeks now, so I set aside a few of these cut outs for his more creative decorating.

  • Tip: Meringue powder makes for that crunchy, professional icing but it can be tricky to find. I scoured Walmart until I had an “aha” moment near the crafts section—meringue powder, along with some fancier decorating items, was in the cake decorating aisle.

• Chocolate Orange Shortbread Cookies. I love the ease of a slice-and-bake, and these were an instant hit with my husband. To save time, I skipped the chocolate dipping and simply sprinkled salt flakes on top. Because they’re so rich, I think the chocolate dip would actually be too much.

• Pistachio Drop Cookies. My dad makes a famous pistachio torte in the summertime, and these cookies capture a bit of that delicious flavor.

• TBD: if I have time, I might whip up some sprinkled sugar cookies and chewy oatmeal M&M cookies for family members who love straightforward classics.

Photo from Unsplash

2024 Gift Books

I’ve never been good at waiting to give gifts, so we recently opened our Christmas books during an ice storm that kept us homebound. A few weeks before, Curtis and I spent a date night at our local indie bookstore to pick books for the boys and for each other. We’ve figured out a fun system over the last couple of years: we spend some time browsing for ourselves, selecting 3-5 books we’d be happy to receive. Then we take turns at checkout to pick from each other’s piles and keep the final pick a surprise.

For the baby: I Can Help by David Hyde Costello

For the toddler: Go and Get with Rex by David Larochelle

For the husband: The Why is Everything by Michael Silver (I also put Demon Copperhead in his stocking for St. Nick)

For me: The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods

Festive Things

To close out this festive newsletter, here are a few pretty things that caught my eye while nursing and scrolling.

• Felt bow garland

• Little Women print

• Fuchsia wrap coat of my dreams

• Vintage ornaments

• Vintage Little Golden Books

Did you bake anything new this year? Drop your recipe links in the comments.

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