The First Annual Christmas Cookie Exchange

This morning's surprise from Jingle Bell was a decoder ring you see there, and a bit of a scavenger hunt.  Different Christmas friends would be in different areas, each one with a coded note with symbols and shapes like this one here:

That translated is "sewing machine," using the decoder ring she found by the tree.  So going to the sewing machine, she found another friend with a similar code that translated to "oven."  Then another friend at the oven with a code that translated to piano!  Finally, you can see up top where it all lead to, and Madison laughed because that big code there didn't take but two seconds to translate:  she knew it had to be "BE SURE TO DRINK YOUR OVALTINE."  And just to help out, you can see Jingle Bell brought along some Ovaltine as well!

Today we had a cookie exchange at the office, which is why we were working so hard on the cookies last night.  We brought those in, and everyone sort of introduced their own cookies today, each bringing enough for others to take home. And then we got to sample them!

That's the batch of cookies for this year.  Bottom left are some cookies inspired by "The Mandalorian," which Grogu seems rather fond of.  To right, in my hand, is a cookie Camille made, a little cup with a handle and filled with hot chocolate and some whipped cream at the top.  All of these were so sweet that I could only handle two I think?  I started out with a truffle and that was probably a mistake.  But it was SO GOOD!  We brought them home so Madison could try some, and of course she went right for a few of them immediately.

Madison's doing good on her midterms. She had to study tonight, but before then, we were off to piano class.  It's her last this year, I think.  Basically, she's off a week.  But she's still going, and right after class, we were going too.  We went for a little ride up and down Green Street to see the decorated houses, and then of course to the Gainesville Square.  It's right there a block or two away from where Madison does her piano class, so we had fun checking it out.

We got home, and like I said, she had a lot of studying to do.  But she's doing well, and of course we're proud of her!  We said our prayers, and we were reading from Narnia as well.  She's got this hiding place with our nightly hide-and-seek routine, one where I can't see her - but I can see a groundhog puppet.  And when I've been looking around and not finding her, suddenly this groundhog pops out and sings, "Oh no!  Oh no!  Oh no, no, no, no, no!"

It's hilarious!