Easy Treats...

We have been busy with lots of parties and gift making...

(This year we did a White Elephant/Yankee Swap gift exchange... and some interesting gifts showed up!)

And I just wanted to share a few very easy treats that are yummy to keep for yourself or give as a gift!

These are Oreo Truffles, and a few of my friends have re-named them "Christmas in your mouth!"

You can find the recipe HERE

We are also making lots of Hot Chocolate to give away as gifts.

You can find the recipe HERE

We altered the mix slightly by grounding a 70% Lindt Dark Chocolate bar in the food processor and added it to the rest of the mix.  Our jars and gift tags are from IKEA.

Tis the Season...

Tis the Season for all sorts of good things...

For decorating the tree
For Advent Calendars

For sending and receiving Christmas cards...we keep all the photo cards from years past too!

For Kiachl (sort of like a funnel cake- served with powdered sugar, marmalade or sauerkraut)

For Baking

For Clementines

For PHOTO CHALLENGES

And for making Caramels

But most importantly, celebrating the real reason for the Season!

What special things do you do to get ready for Christmas and/or enjoy doing during the Holidays?

Here are a few more ideas that I found on Pinterest...
Perfect gift for your neighbors
THESE are so cute
THIS looks like a fun book
and a Yummy Dessert for a Christmas Party

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

We have been in the States for the last 2 Christmases... (Beech Mountain 2010 and 2011)
so we were very excited to get a tree up in our apartment this year!  When we moved to Vienna 5 years ago, it was hard to find a Christmas tree until the first week of December- but this year we found one right after Thanksgiving!  Here we all are carrying the tree from the car- and since it was so tall, it didn't fit in our tiny elevator, so we had to carry it up to the 5th floor ;)

It's always fun hanging our ornaments that have photos or that the kids made.  We even have a few from when Brad was just a little tike!  Too cute.

Here is the finished tree...

Scenes from Christmas...

Christmas at Beech Mountain is always a treat!
We love being with our family and having cousin time.

Christmas PJ's... it's tradition!  Can't wait to show this photo at a wedding rehearsal dinner someday :)

We got lots of great gifts, but I think the mustaches from our good friend, Shannon were a big hit!

Mikey totally rocks this look doesn't he?

You can see more photos HERE

The countdown is on...

Christmas cards have been sent (thanks Memoo!) and received
Cookie after cookie has been baked (and eaten)
Christmas parties and programs have been attended (with just a few more to go)
Gifts have been made and purchased
Suitcases have begun to be packed
And last night was our Christmas service at NCW...

On Friday, we head to America.
We are ready.
Ready to spend time with our family.
Ready to relax.
Ready to have some fun.
Ready to celebrate our Savior's Birth.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours...

Tis the Season...

For making Advent wreaths...

for making Gingerbread houses...

For waking up to shoes filled with candy from "St. Nikolaus"...

and for visiting Christkindlmarkts...

Operation Christmas Child...

Samaritan's Purse has a project called "Operation Christmas Child", where you can fill a shoebox with goodies for a child in need.  Luke, Abby and Levi loved picking out the treats and packing up the boxes!  It's not too late...you too can send off a shoebox!

Christmas Eve Traditions...

After attending a candlelight worship service, we came home and the kids got to open one present...which is always matching p.j.'s

then we snuggled on the couch to listen to Brad read, "The Night Before Christmas"

we set out cookies for Santa...
then we sent the kiddos off to bed, so visions of sugar-plums can dance in their heads...
While Brad and I finish wrapping gifts, prepare the cinnamon rolls for the morning and watch a little "Elf"

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a Good Night!

*New*

*new* to the terrace...SNOW

At our Christmas worship service, we had many *new* folks join us for the first time

And for our devotional for the kiddos, we adapted a lesson from my *new* "What God wants for Christmas". The kids loved passing all of the figures around and setting up the nativity.

For our team Christmas dinner we tried a *new* restaurant called Camelot
Abby looks happy here doesn't she...really she just realized that we don't get to eat with forks...
the boys of course were thrilled!

our eating utensils...sans fork

LOTS OF MEAT!!!

We also exchanged gifts and I am loving my *new* candle holder from Lindsay

And from our family to yours...we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy *New* Year

P.S. Finally a *NEW* POST

Making and Baking...

This year we are trying to make as many gifts as we can. There has been lots of painting, printing and framing pictures of friends and the use of porcelain markers. We have made a lot of personalized coffee/hot chocolate mugs this year. :)

Peppermint bark is a Christmas staple...


So are chocolate drizzled pretzels (with a hint of peppermint extract)


Today the cookie baking begins, with Cranberry-Pistacio Biscotti from Realsimple.com and sugar cookies from Alton Brown.

Looking for a way to make great ornaments from your yearly Christmas photos? Check THESE out. I will attempt to make these after Christmas...

as we also have been making our church's front windows more festive and we have been preparing for our Christmas worship service...


If you are in the area, SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20TH AT 4 PM, then stop by NEW CITY WIEN (located at Operngasse 28)

Worship with us and then stick around for Christmas music and goodies afterwards!