Good morning friends, happy St.Nick! Today if the feast of St. Nicholas. Did you awake this morning to find your stocking, slippers or shoes filled with sweet treats and little gifts?

I left my slippers by the hearth and St. Nick left me an orange, some of my favorite hot chocolate and some candy.

As I type this I imagine little ones all over the world jumping out of bed to check their slippers and stockings to see if St. Nick left them something too. The wonder and joy of a child at Christmas time is a sight to behold. A little candy along with breakfast never hurt anyone, especially at Christmas.

Happy St. Nick

In case you have no idea what I am talking about you can read the post I wrote yesterday about the “real” St. Nicholas. If you do not already celebrate you might want to add this yo your Christmas traditions.

Our family is big on traditions, I shared some of our traditions a few days ago. Do you have a favorite family Christmas tradition from your house, please share it in the comments, it is fun to learn about other families and what brings them joy. I have loved reading about your special cookies, meals, adventures and things you have shared over the last few days.

Christmas Baking

It’s the 6th of December have you started baking? What kind(s) of cookies are you baking? I am looking for something new to make this year. I have my favorites but it is nice to add something new to the cookie tray.

Speaking fo cookies, I joined a Christmas cookie and candy Facebook group and I am starting to feel like a slacker in the cookie department. There are several women in the group that make 12 or more kinds of cookies and one lady posted a photo of her ingredient table and she had 45 lbs. of butter!

It was a busy weekend , Friday we went to a Christmas party and the village tree lighting, Saturday we hung two light fixtures and a few pieces of art as well as catching up on some work and Sunday I made caramel corn for my gift boxes and the dough for 3 cookies. If you like caramel corn or are looking for a sweet treat to add to your Christmas fare this caramel corn is scrumptious and easy to make. I have several other recipes for caramel corn including, Amish caramel corn, caramel corn from the Culinary Institute of America to name just a few.

If you do not like baking but enjoy candy making try this recipe for Dark Chocolate Caramelized Almond Bark this is another easy and delicious recipe that you will love. When I make this I have to pack it up immediately otherwise I will eat the entire batch.

Fleur de sel Trufflesare hands do the EASIEST recipe you can make and gift at Christmas! They are made with three ingredients, it doesn’t get any easier than that.

Thoughts on Social Media

A friend recently posted that she was taking a break from Instagram because it was making her feel badly that she didn’t have her house decorated, she hadn’t baked and a few other things. At first the comment struck me as odd considering she is an amazingly talented woman who runs a successful blog, and business has 3 kids, a horse and a spectacular house and is in the process of building another but I guess it goes to show that social media can mess with even the brightest and the best.

All of this is to say that if social media is making you feel badly in any way, about yourself, your weight, the way you look, your house, your car, your holiday decorations then STEP AWAY.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

Do not ever let social media steal your joie de vivre or your self-esteem! I promise you that behind every beautiful photo is a messy room, clothes on the floor, a sink full of dishes, and behind every smile is a little heartache, pain, sadness, etc. How do I know? Because I have a sink full of dishes and a disaster in the kitchen every time I take photos. I wrote blog posts for a year while living through the worst time in my life and only one person ever guessed.

YOU ARE AMAZING just the way you are, so is your tree, and your house and baking and your dog, etc.

They say one of the best things to do when you are down is to help others, here are 15 Ways to Spread Joy Through the Holidays.

Christmas is a magical time for some and for others it is a time of unimaginable pain and depression if you are one of those people please reach out for help.

Until Next Time

Have a great day friends. Thank you for spending part of it with me.

You can also keep up with me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. And last but not least, if you like Pinecones & Acorns share it with a friend!

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