I never paid much attention when they taught us to bake in school, but perhaps I’m now trying to make up for lost time…No, who am I kidding. I’ll never be a domestic goddess, nor do I care enough to acquire the prerequisites for that role. Having said that, it is Christmas, and there’s something about the smell of cookies fresh out of the oven during winter that makes me feel all cosy.

1. Christmas cookies and happy hearts,
   This is how the holiday starts.

The Christmas spirit must have really taken hold of me because not only did I make Soft Chocolate Chip and Nutella Swirl Cookies, I even made hubby David’s favourite Vanilla Cheesecake!

I did cheat with the cheesecake though…It was a modified no-bake recipe I used and whilst it was a bit fiddly (what with it being my first time and all), the whole endeavour was pretty straightforward, and I was pleasantly surprised by what I’d achieved by the end of the day!

And of course, the season of giving would not be complete without…PRESENTS! I try to come up with different ways of adding a personal touch to all my gifts to friends and this year, the girls got some chocs and crochet lip gloss holder keyrings in tree baubles.

The trickiest bit was getting the origami dove to hang in such a way that the bauble could be easily taken apart and put together again. Halfway through, I almost gave up and wondered if I should have made paper bags and gift tags like the Christmas before.

Well, I’m glad I persevered, because wrestling with those lace doilies and ribbons (not forgetting the cardboard, sequins and beads for the handmade holly) was totes worth it when I ended up with baubles I wished I could keep for myself!