FOR CRYING OUT LOUD DIXE!!!!! How do you manage all that by yourself? NO way!!!

I can do the dinner IF I'm having a halfway decent day, dinner's not a problem. But baking, NO! And CANDY? NO, NO! I don't know how you do it. Yes, no wonder you are worn out! I feel bad cuz I don't even make cookies anymore. It's just too much on me. No way could I do all of that!

You're a better woman than I am!

I've done it before, but it's not something I do every year. I do make pumpkin bread every year around xmas to give to family. I like to also bake cakes & such.

Well, if I am honest girls, I usually have all this done by now or close to done. I haven't even gotten started yet. I am worried about getting any of it done! I did get the roast for the beef jerky, but so far......well, I still haven't found the dehydrater yet! :) I'm worried that I will disapoint everyone this year.

I think its so awesome that you do all of these things God Bless You!!!!!!!

i baked for thanksgiving and learned i can not do it for x-mas .. i do want some cookies i will start baking a few here and there starting tomorrow.. i leave all the actual cooking and baking to others..**hugs**

I make the kind of fudge that USED to be on the marshmallow cream jars. Always had tons of compliments on it.

I make tons of cookies with my kids. Thank god they are older and help alot. I give them out to family, my job, my hubby's job, anyone who wants them. We make choc chip, oatmeal, sugar snickerdoodle, ginger snaps, peanut butter, reg butter cookies, you name it. By Jan I'm sick of them.

Dixie, I don't know how you do all that, and I certainly wouldn't worry about disappointing people! You can tell them that you just can't make "X, Y & Z" this year, and if it's important to them, they can make it...you'll give them the recipe. :)

It's easy for me to say that, hard for me to follow my own advice though. I make killer homemade fudge, an OLD recipe, that everyone always wants. I usually make it the day before. I've had the biggest house since I got married, so my family always comes to my house for the holidays. I'm also one of the only good cooks. We do Christmas Eve with my husband's family, so I usually only have to bring peanut butter and/or chocolate fudge. My MIL started having the dinner catered the last few years, so dessert was all we have to worry about. My family comes over for Christmas at my house, and I do most of the cooking.

I was talking to my parents the other day though & they asked if I was still going to do it this year. I actually told them this year that I wasn't going to do alot of cleaning, and I wasn't cooking it all. They agreed to have everyone help with the cooking, so I'm still on the hook for the house, and since I don't trust most of their cooking, I'll probably still do most of it, and just take my painkillers & put my feet up at the end of the day. LOL So that's turkey which my husband makes, homemade mashed potatoes & gravy, and some fudge & pie. The rest I think I can let the family handle. :)

This is the first year Sheli that I may not be able to do all they want. but I have a very understanding bunch. It's just that I WANT to do all these things for them because I always have. My family is very small so I try to make everything special.:)

I baked cookies.I do this for the neighbors the teachers for friends.Plus the kids love to gobble them up:):):)

Anyone ever try their hand at petits fours? I'm going to attempt it. I found a recipe online. Hope it turns out good.

YUM...wish I was your neighbor!! I have an idea why not order those premade dinners at Safeway? All you have to do is heat it up and maybe make a few of your fab candies or cookies. It's semi-home made...or start a new tradition and ask each family to make one of your dishes. I'm sure that they'ed rather you enjoy and have fun then to be tired and in pain. maybe receipe swaping would be good?!

Okay, first of all I want the recipe for Eggnog bread! Second, I used to all kinds of treats and traditional dishes for the holidays. We used to back tea size loafs of Cranberry nut bread and Banana nut bread and give them as gifts to anyone who came over in the month of december.
Now when anyone says they want a traditional dish, unless it is something I can do easily, I offer to teach them how and they become responsible for carrying on the tradition...hugs jilly

I wouldnt do that if I were well!
If you really want to start early with the baking and freeze it..If anyone can help you they should..if there isnt anyone to help then they shouldnt expect all that of you..I have cut way back on what I do..and I find I am the one who misses it the most..maybe you are like that too..maybe it is the tradition of it that you cant give up...I think we often hold higher expectations for ourselves than others do.
Try to do only the necessities..get help and spread it all out..you sill have over 2 weeks to get it done...

It's really difficult to bake cookies to "spread around" when you have a cookie monster living in your house!
Last week, just made 48 oatmeal/raisin cookies - hoping they would last until payday, for sweets -- dream on, they were gone within 24 hours. EVEN if I tell them they are for Christmas.

But, he likes to have a "little bit of Christmas" everyday for about the two weeks before. Drives me nutszoid!

Besides, I don't have the ingredients to cook the things I normally make, and can't make it to the store right now. Money is a bit of the problem, too, being honest here.
But,we will get by, always do:)