Annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Contest

On Christmas Eve Eve, we had our annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Extravaganza!!! This is a heated competition every year. We take it very seriously and are always trying to do something bigger and better than the year before. Here is the event in pictures:

We have to start by cutting out and baking the sugar cookies

Lauren is not using cookie cutters. She is making her own designs.

The many icings, toppings, etc. we use to decorate

Let the competition begin! Time to start decorating!

This little tool that Rick is using was a new addition to our competition this year.

Also, the Africa-shaped cookie cutter was a big hit.

I bought it earlier in the year to support a family's adoption from Ethiopia.

It was the perfect addition to our competition.

You can almost cut the tension with a knife!

A sampling of the cookies not entered for judging

Here are the entries to be judged:

Laura - Africa cookie with the South African Flag Design

Rick - Africa cookie with the countries marked and colored

Cody - Polar Bear

Sam - Gingerbread man

Lauren - Penguin listening to an Ipod

Laila - she was a bit more artsy with her abstract gingerbread man

Abby - Papa Smurf

Isaiah - Alien

We each cast 2 votes for our favorites. And the winner is:

Me!!!

This was the first time I have won. I must say, I thought Lauren should have won. She did get second place. Rick, Cody, and Sam tied for 3rd place. The winner gets to be the first to open gifts, stockings, etc. throughout the Christmas activities.

We handled the competitive aspect with much better sportsmanship this year. We did have a talk ahead of time about how we are doing this to have fun. Isaiah did go into the family room after the announcement of the winner, threw himself on the ground and said, "Well, I just quit then!!" I wonder where he has seen that?

It was a great time! We chose to do it on Friday because Rick was off. Doing it on Friday allowed us to do it without having to rush like we normally do on Christmas Eve.