Holiday Traditions?

Lily has been asking me off and on over the last few days to make cookies.  Specifically, to make star cookies.  She says, "Mommy, I can make a cookie shaped like a star?"  And, of course, I cannot say no to her!  So, we're gearing up for a weekend of holiday baking.  My sisters have invited me to join them in their baking session on Saturday.  If the weather cooperates, we just might do that!  If not, we're going to be on our own and I'm planning on picking up the stuff to make some of our holiday favorites.  I'm also hoping to bake up some goodies for our D-family Christmas gift!  Diabetes be damned!  The holidays are for having fun and there's no reason why we can't indulge in treats just a little bit.  And really...even if diabetes weren't a factor, we still wouldn't be able to eat everything we wanted.  So, my view on diabetes and the holiday...everything in moderation, except for holiday spirit!

Here's what I've put on our list of baking ideas so far:

1. Cardamom Sugar Crisps...My husband and I fell in love with these last year!  They're a crispy sugar cookie, flavored with cardamom.  Super-easy to make (you squish the round cookie balls with a glass, sprinkle them with colored sugar, and bake) and so yummy!  Kind of a nice change from some of the overly-sweet treats since they just have that little hint of sweet.

2. Mocha-Marbled Fudge...Does this one need an explanation?  It has a nice caffeine-kick to it and is probably more appropriate for adult consumption!  And definitely not a bedtime treat!

3. Gingerbread.  Oh, I love gingerbread!  And just about anything flavored with molasses!

4.  Honey Caramels....This is one that I'm not entirely sure I'm going to make.  I've made microwave homemade caramels a couple of times and they're super-easy, but hell on the blood sugars!  Seriously, there's no amount of insulin that prevents spiking when you consume a caramel, is there?  These are a little different though.  Instead of calling for corn syrup, they call for honey.  I'm not sure if the effect on the blood sugars would be different, but they sound really yummy, don't they?

5.  Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix....I've found a recipe for this that calls for massive amounts of powdered milk, non-instant chocolate pudding mix, and cocoa powder.  Facebook friends have suggested adding in crushed peppermint and I'm debating on adding in some marshmallows.  This is actually an item I want to include in our D-family gift (let's just hope they don't mind!).  If I do both peppermint and marshmallows, I might just have to make two batches up!

6. Sugar cut-outs....Just for my adorable little girl!  Gotta let her cut out some stars!

So....what's on your holiday baking list?  I'm curious!

Before I head to bed, I'll leave you all with some cuteness from my children:

Adorable, all bundled up, aren't they?  In that first picture, Lily's got a necklace-thingy on that I made for her. We've been noticing that when her blood sugars are running higher, she has a tendency to chew/suck on her lips and she ends up with sore, chapped lips and skin around her mouth.  So...that little necklace was made to keep her chapstick handy and hopefully prevent some of the chapping.  Anyone else notice this kind of a habit in their children?  I know I have a tendency to lick my lips more when I'm high, which leads to chapped lips.....