Today my wife and I enjoyed a yearly baking ritual. We frosted the cookies we baked Sunday for Christmas and packed them in airtight containers. We also made an old family recipe called "Nuts and Bolts."

It's a mixture of things with peanut butter baked in over 6 hours and I would look like a swollen tick if I ate as much of it as I wanted to.

I enjoy the time she and I spend together more than any of the resultant goodies however. I cherish the little memories I guess. I look forward each year to the specific days we designate and spend doing this together. We tease each other and laugh about the tasks at hand, (we aren't tremendous cookie frosters) and we blame each for the other's mistakes. It's a lot of fun.

We will be giving these things to friends and family. I much prefer to give and get these kinds of things than anything a person could buy for me. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, and I do enjoy buying things for other people, but often, I get to deliver or am delivered to by someone bearing a plate of fudge or homemade candy, and I get to catch up with them.

At the very least I see from my own experience that someone's time and efforts went into the process. I can appreciate that. They are letting me know that they wanted to do something for me, and for that I'm grateful.

It is always nice to bring a smile to someone's face, as well as a few thousand calories. (laughing here)