sleeping dogs lie

my dog in his natural state, content and asleep, a state of carefree
dreams.

o christmas tree!

this is my very first christmas tree and I have wanted one as long as I can remember. I understand my orthodox jewish father objecting—but we celebrated christmas with santa and gifts, what was the deal with that? anyway, I married a lutheran who had promised his grandmother he would never marry a jew. and he didn't want a tree? what was that all about? so when I spotted this beauty in the alley and asked myself why it was rejected, I settled on its original owner heading off for some pre-christmas vacation and not wanting to come home to a carpet full of dried out needles. this is my tree now and next year I will get one for inside. 

these guys

next year after I finally put up a christmas tree, I will hang cranberries and popcorn strings on it and if I'm lucky an army of snowmen such as these.

mmmmmmmmm cookies

every year I make cookies for chanukah and christmas. these are ischler cookies and chocolate shortbread cookies and soon I will make spritz and sour cream cutout cookies, but the making of the latter has been more or less taken over by the rest of the family. I really love cookies.