Cranberry Sauce and Cookies

It's no secret that I have done a lot of baking over the last month.  To cut down on eating copious amounts myself, I have been putting them in pretty Christmas boxes and handing them out to my

friends children, Andy's sister Claire and our nephew Archie.  (I had also frozen a bunch to put out for the kids and family over Christmas.) 

Because I like to make my own cranberry sauce, on Christmas Eve morning I tried out a new recipe for a cranberry-pear sauce and decided to put some in a few little jars to give out to friends that I would be seeing later that day, along with the cookies. 

I think it all looked rather pretty and I took great joy in giving out gifts that I'd taken the time to make myself.  (The cranberry sauce was good thankfully, if not a little bit tart - but hey, they are cranberries afterall.)

I ended up taking last Friday off to ensure I had just about everything ready and it turned out to be a great decision.  Andy and I did what needed doing in the morning and by mid-afternoon we were free to meet up with Robert and Dawn in our local for a few glasses of wine.  It was festive and relaxing and a brilliant way to kick off the season.

We've had a lovely Christmas and I will be back tomorrow to share a few photos with you.