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I wanted to make some holiday treats for our neighbors, but I don’t really enjoy cooking. I asked Briar and Brad to help and we picked some easy treats that wouldn’t require any real cooking – peanut butter and Ritz crackers dipped in chocolate almond bark, pretzels dipped in vanilla almond bark decorated with red and green sprinkles and peppermint brittle – which is melted white chocolate chips mixed with crushed peppermints and then chilled and broken apart.

While Brad was excited and did almost all of the work, Briar retreated to the living room and asked that we yell at him when it came time to crush things. And let me tell you, boys LOVE crushing things.

After finishing, we loaded up Christmas tins and delivered our goodies. Brad proudly told the neighbors what he had made and that he hoped they enjoyed the treats.

He has since thought of several others who he wants to deliver Christmas goodies to ... Looks like I’ll be spending even more time in the kitchen!

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Christmas is a wonderful time of year. The only thing I usually have trouble with is Briar and Brad’s ever-changing Christmas list. They started their list back in August (at my request), but seem to add to it or take away from it daily. They have also made a note of the things they want the most. It made me wonder if all they have thought about is what they will get for Christmas.

I want them to think about what they can give. So … for everything they want to get, they have to list something they want to give. I talked to them about giving from the heart. Gifts can be a hug, a kind word, a hand-made card or gift, or something of your own that may make someone else happy.

The boys have some great ideas and special gifts they hope will make other people’s holiday more special. My hope is that the experience will make Briar and Brad’s Christmas more memorable as well.

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It’s a great time of the year for college sports fans. Football season is winding down, but there are still several big games to come. Several conference championship games took place this past weekend and the bowl season is just around the corner.

Meanwhile, the college basketball season is in full swing. Hardly a night goes by without an enticing matchup on television. Several highly ranked teams have already suffered defeats this season, so we should be in store for an exciting, unpredictable season to come.

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