Mrs. Santa's Butter Cookies

I would stand on a chair up to the cupboard watching my Mom sprinkle flour on the counter top, then rub more flour onto the wooden rolling pin. She would carefully roll out the dough into a flat oval. My sister and I would pick out our favorite cookie cutters while we waited, a reindeer, Santa with a pack on his back, a snowman. Mom always liked the wreath, holly leaf, star, bell, and angel. She would carefully press the cookie cutter into the dough and lift the fragile shapes onto a cookie sheet. Then Rachel and I would take over, covering each shape in a layer of colored sugar. The reindeer would get a red hot for his nose. The holly leaf would get three for berries. White sugar was for angels and snow men, yellow for stars, blue for the bells, cinnamon sugar for deer, red for Santa.

Then, into the oven, and turn on the light to peek at the cookies baking, and the sugar melting.
But only for a minute, because Mom was laying down more flour, rubbing the rolling pin, and maybe, she'd let me try to roll the dough this time!

~this cookie was made last year by Riley. Same recipe, way more artistic freedom!