Ah, the colors of the Holidays surround us.  The dark green hue of the Christmas tree.  Red and white stockings hung over the fireplace.  Multicolored strands of light bringing happiness to an otherwise dark December night.  The black and blue marks from Family Night at Swim Classes?

Yes, the end of swim session ritual, “Family Night.”  The night when parents sadly realize that they also did not pay for a water based babysitting service when they signed up for swim classes (I am in full support of the babysitting concept, while I exercise) and are instead forced through guilt to join their kids in the cool Y Center swimming pool.  Taking my turn at Family Night, I waited on the end of the huge water slide for 5-year-old Ben to come shooting out the end.  Upon his splash down and resurfacing, he mentioned how he bumped his head on the slide.  Bruise on face number one, forehead variety.  At least red is a Christmassy color.

Then as I finished showering and the boys played in the main locker room area, more misplaced Holiday colors arrived.  Emerging from my Family Locker Room cell, I mean shower stall, I took three steps into the hallway, before 5-year-old  Ben came running up to me.  Sure enough, under his left eye was a red bruise with some serious potential to go black-and-blue.  “Sam (his 7-year-old brother) hit me in the face with his head.”  Sadly, this is a very believable story and most likely inadvertent on Sam’s part, since every member of our family has at one time or another been bumbled into by Sam.  It’s not intended to be harmful.  It’s just his nature.  Bruise on face number two, the below the eye variety.

Enough misguided shades, time for some appropriate Holiday colors, brought to you by Gumdrop Cookies…

A www.CookiesbyDave.com file photo.

GUMDROP COOKIES

“These playful cookies have long been a favorite of my wife Charlene.”

¼ cup Shortening

¼ cup Butter

½ cup Sugar

¼ cup Brown Sugar

1 Egg

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 cup Flour

1/8 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 cup Gumdrops, snipped (sounds painful, doesn’t it?)

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream the shortening and butter.

Mix in the sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract.

Mix in the flour and baking soda.

Stir in gumdrops.

Drop by teaspoons onto parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Bake 10 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.

 

Makes about 18 cookies.

Source:  Page 50 of my cookie cookbook, “Today is a Great Day for a Cookie,” which is available for free download at www.CookiesbyDave.com.