We became parents, not Neanderthals.

I have a friend who dazzles me with her ability to be amazing all of the time. She wears cute clothes, her house is spectacular, and she throws fabulous parties (large and small.) She can make a gathering of 3 people feel like a special event. When I went to meet her new baby, she had a beautiful spread on her dining room table. I asked her how she managed to be a new mom and a perfect hostess. She replied, “We became parents, not Neanderthals.”

It is in that spirit that I embarked on my holiday baking this year. Every time I think I cannot possibly continue to bake cookies, work full time, finish my holiday shopping, be a good friend, keep my house clean AND be a mom, I remind myself that I became a parent, not a Neanderthal (and no offense to our prehistoric cousins; I’m sure some Neanderthals were lovely hostesses. Plus they had to hunt for their food; I do all of my hunting at Trader Joe’s.)

I’m still a new mom though and efficiency matters so I limited my colors this year. I made 3 sets of cookies, all using the same icing. My friends and family will be receiving botanical cookies, sweater pattern cookies, and snowflake cookies. There are a lot of rerun patterns. Like I said, new mom.

I love botanicals for the holidays. Winter is so dull and I appreciate a little reminder that there is life and flowers and greenery in the world.

But it is not really the holidays without a cozy sweater print. Even if your cozy sweater print is on a cookie. And when you eat too many cookies your cozy sweaters don’t fit anymore. Never mind all that, you can diet in January.