There’ll be parties for hosting...

If "parties for hosting" is one marker of "the most wonderful time of the year," this must be the most wonderful week of the year. Beginning with yesterday's missionary kid Christmas party and ending with Friday's Dominican ladies' craft night, I will have hosted or co-hosted two parties (and attended a third) within seven days. 

Courtney did an amazing job transforming the GEO apartment into something magical for a Saturday morning of merrymaking.  

We had various "stations," which she made hand-lettered tags for, happening simultaneously: Christmas Cards, Cookie Decorating, Gingerbread Houses, Cookie Baking, a Christmas Movie (Polar Express), and of course, Hot Chocolate...with mini marshmallows, which can be hit or miss in stores. 

My friend Kelsey helped me make a double batch of cutout sugar cookies on Friday night, so I hovered mostly around the cookie decorating table. 

Tirzah was sporting red and green from antlers to toe. 

Gingerbread houses - and tents - featured edible design elements ranging from a ladder to a campfire. 

Rollin' in the dough (for peanut butter blossoms, chocolate crinkles, and soft batch gingersnaps). 

I heart these ladies, and we heart MKs!

The jollity didn't end when the kids got picked up. Once we'd collected the majority of the candy cane wrappers and abandoned Styrofoam cups and pried our feet off the sugar coated tile, Courtney & I played elves, delivering cookie plates to missionary friends who don't have kids or whose kids are grown. We even made individual baggies to share with our church family this morning!

Until next time, blessings!