When December comes around each year you can count on two things happening in the Raymo house on the weekends. The making of Christmas cookies and watching Christmas movies. I should explain the movies, basically just four Christmas movies that we watch over and over again. “Christmas Vacation”, “Elf”, “Christmas with the Kranks” and “It’s a Wonderful Life”.

I should also explain the cookies, basically just two kinds are made. We bake star cookies or some people call them peanut blossoms and sugar cookies. That’s it! Both Roxie and I enjoy baking Christmas cookies while watching the movies. I like making the sugar cookies and I use the cookie cutters to make Christmas trees, Santa, reindeer and other Christmas shapes. Roxie is known for her star cookies. Our family loves them and she bakes them for the staff at the radio station. She makes them perfect, placing the chocolate star right in the middle and just a bit pushed into the cookie. For me, I just pop one of them in my mouth. I don’t take a bite or two.

Again this year I entered the Madison Chamber of Commerce baking contest. It is one of my favorite holiday events. This year I got creative with my cookies. I was surfing the internet about a month ago and ran across a sugar cookie with a melted snowman on top of it. I thought that was a genius idea and it looked easy to make. So I bought some marshmallows and some tubes of frosting and went to town. I think they turned out great. It was sure fun to make the snowmen on the cookie.

We have a good number of men in Madison that do bake and enter their cakes, breads or cookies each year. It seems I am always competing against the Young brothers, Jason and Ryan. Last year I placed first with my star cookies and they placed second and third. This year the judges picked my sugar cookie with the melted snowman and I got third place! Jason took first and Ryan second place. We always make sure to take a picture of all three of us. It’s a lot of fun. I will beat them next year for sure! The baking contest is held at the Madison City Hall and all ages enter their holiday goodies. The Valley Harmony singing group from Lac qui Parle Valley always sing Christmas songs for the entertainment. It’s a fun event.

Christmas movies are a must in our house during the Christmas season. We love the four movies I mentioned earlier. I can watch them over and over and not get sick of them. I do have a favorite and that is “Christmas Vacation” with Chevy Chase. I am pretty sure I can quote every line in that movie. I do watch “Christmas Vacation” all year. The characters in that movie are awesome, love Cousin Eddie! Some of the best lines in the movie are “Can’t see the lines can you Russ?” or “why is the carpet all wet Todddd?” and “That there is a RV Clark” Check out this website with all the quotes from Christmas Vacation. I was reading through them and laughing at each one.

“It’s a Wonderful Life” is a good old fashioned movie and a good story. “Christmas with the Kranks” is Roxie’s favorite Christmas movie. “Elf” is only funny to me because I love Will Farrell. The story is stupid, but Will Farrell does a great job playing Buddy the Elf. When he finds out Santa is coming to the store the next day and jumps up and down screaming, “Santa is coming! Santa is coming!” That is a classic and so funny.

I am not big on Christmas music at all. I can listen to one song a day and I am good. Roxie is the other way; she can listen to Christmas music all day long in the house. That would drive me nuts. So put me in the kitchen baking Christmas cookies and let me watch “Christmas Vacation” and I am in the Holiday spirit.