I really cannot fathom what people find fun or rewarding about baking Christmas cookies.

On our first attempt, the sugar cookie dough recipe from Sunset never turned into dough. It just crumbled into dry little lumps in my barely-used red Kitchen-Aid mixer.

On our second attempt, begun at 8:30 this morning, we tried a gingerbread mix from a box.

I have no idea why it took so long, but three and a half hours later, this is what I have to show for it: fewer than 18 little, awful looking gingerbread men.



The icing looks like it was applied by a 2 year old. I could blame it on my son, but it was me.


A lot of the dough ended up in the trash can. I had to keep rolling it out over and over, which anyone can tell you ruins the dough after the fourth or fifth time. I don't even like gingerbread.

At least my 2 year old was eating the cookies. He kept coming back for more: "A blue one, mama!" or "A green one, mama!" Then my husband came into the kitchen to say, "You realize he is just licking the icing off and throwing the cookies away, don't you."



You know, Adagio sells delicious and beautifully decorated Christmas cookies.