It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

I finished my last batch of Christmas cookies tonight so I can check that off my list.  My favorite are the above Russian Tea Cakes.  They just melt in your mouth.  Tonight, I made my favorite sugar cookie recipe for my Spritz Christmas cookies. 

And for my chocolate fix, I can't go without my chocolate snowflake cookies. 

I'll put them out for our first Christmas gathering which is this Friday night when Bruce's office comes over for dinner. I started setting the table, which takes a couple of days.

There's always something I forget so if I start early enough, I'll remember everything.  This year I made these cute name place settings.

 Simple but effective.

You can also see that each place setting has a little basket of almond roca.  Bruce has made 3 batches so far to give out to his office-mates.  Plus, it makes for a decorative table setting,

 anything to make the occasion more festive, right?

It took a week to get the tree all decorated that I started the weekend after Thanksgiving.  You mustn't rush these things, you know.  

All of these tasks are to just get the house ready of our Christmas party.  And I haven't even talked about the food yet, the best part!  That comes next...