Hi All!

Quick note from the writing cave (there is coffee, there are crumbs, it is fine):

I am still working on the Christmas story. It is coming together like a complicated batch of dough: lots of ingredients, a little chilling time, and the occasional “why is this sticky?” moment. I am excited about where it is headed.

In my last email, I asked how you stay in the Christmas mood and invited you to share your favorite holiday cookie recipes and traditions. Many of you wrote back to check in, share ideas, and see how the Christmas story was coming along.

Thank you.

I truly appreciated every message. Those of you who reached out received a special sneak peek of the Christmas cover before anyone else.

Today, I am excited to finally share that cover with everyone.

I would love to know what you think. Hit reply and tell me your first impression.

This Year’s Christmas Cookie List 🍪

Since cookies were very much on everyone’s mind, here is my cookie list for this year:

• Spicy Norwegian pepperkaker
• Raspberry thumbprints
• Hershey thumbprints
• Spiced chocolate chip cookies
• Molasses cookies
• Pecan sandies
• Chocolate crinkle cookies

Every year, my kids and I turn this list into a full holiday operation. We bake a ridiculous number of cookies, pack them into boxes, and during the week of Christmas we hand out between 30 and 40 boxes to friends, family, teachers, bus drivers, and neighbors.

Picture from a few years ago:

The kitchen is chaotic, the house smells amazing, and it has become one of our favorite holiday traditions.

One reader, Barbara, even shared her spritz dough recipe with me after my last email, and I am very tempted to add that to the rotation.

Thank you again for checking in, for sharing your holiday ideas and recipes, and for cheering me on while I finish this Christmas story.

More soon,

Daphne

Author of the Pembury Acres Cozy Mystery Series