Jan has this week’s Friday Five from RevGalBlogPals:

For today’s Friday Five, choose any five things about this upcoming Christmas that comes to mind, such as memories, traditions, plans, worries, whatever you wish. Add a favorite recipe, song, or tradition that you would like to share as the bonus category.

1. Cookies! We spend a lot of time baking cookies (and eating them!) There are certain traditions, such as decorating sugar cookies, that bring a lot of laughter and love into the kitchen. There’s a lot of fun and whimsy in those calories.

2. The tree! The ornaments are varied, the style changes, but we try to put it up soon after Thanksgiving and enjoy it all month. I love to sit and read in the living room and look at the lights.

3. Family nativity scenes! We have several. One was Ken’s grandmother’s creche. One is a simple wooden one that was loved and touched by small hands. And several are fragile and lovely and represent other parts of the world.

4. Music! I play and sing more music at this time of year than any other. I am not a purist (i.e. I will sing Christmas carols in Advent!) and I find that my lack of practicing shows up rather horrifically at the piano. But I will still do it.

5. The Christmas crazies! The rush of activities, “to do” lists, and running around. I try to keep the crazy to a minimum. Sometimes I even succeed.

BONUS: A recipe – Chocolate Sugar Bombs
I stumbled onto this recipe about 10 years ago. It is among the favorites. (Ooops. Reminder. Buy mini-chocolate chips!)