Bakers Gonna Bake

Well, all the gals showed up on Saturday for our annual Christmas Cookie Bakeoff with their A game in hand.

They didn't waste any time digging in to the dough...


















and took their jobs very, very seriously 😉. Soon the race was on to see who could get pans into the oven first.

In no time at all the tables began filling with a delicious variety of goodies,

and the gals in the decorating department worked their magic.

We even had a little four-legged friend overseeing quality control. The gals saw to it that any 'eaters' were dealt with immediately.

Of course, all had to be decked out for the day with their favourite cookie bakeoff tattoos. My niece Julia created four terrific new designs this year, and they were a big hit.

Our long distance baker, Lori, drives about three hours to join us so she had a little bit of a later start; this diversion in the hills of Wilno (Canada's oldest Polish settlement) might have added to that. It was well worth it though - she picked up some yummy fudge and butter tarts to share over lunch.

So, once again, freezers are stocked with tins of goodies and I have it on very good authority that a bit of sampling might already have been done, with a hot cup of tea, of course.

Did I mention that we set a new record this year? 2,307 cookies were baked in approximately 10 hours using ONE oven!

Despite the long day, everyone was still smiling when it was all said and done.

I feel so blessed that this crew is prepared to go all in on this tradition every year - the baking, the carol singing, the laughter and the great meals, and often one or two new faces. It truly is a special way to launch 'the most wonderful time of the year'!....M