Predestination, Eternal Security, Free Will, Cookies and Christmas Trees

I think I am going to start dreaming about church history soon, with a doctrinal emphasis, of course. Or cookies. I'd rather dream about cookies. I'm living and breathing those two right now. They kind of balance each other out. One is serious and deep and requires lots of mental concentration, the other is fun and relaxing and requires mostly physical effort.
Seriously, I picked out 26 recipes that I wanted to do this year. Some old, some new. I understood that the list was too long, so I narrowed it down to 21. And have been laughing at my insanity ever since. :D I'm nearly half way, but not sure I'll really get to make all of them. However, as those who know me will tell you, I'll certainly do my best!
Actually, the cookies are a really great break for me from my work on doctrine, so that I don't obsess about it and burn myself out over it. I discovered that once I switch into research/writing mode that I am so switched into it that it is hard to turn off. Which has its pluses, esp. since I am still so intimidated by the topic that it takes me, literally, hours to work myself up to working on it. My goal right now is to do a minimum of two hours on it every day. That may not sound like much to you, but at the end of two hours of studying these topics my brain is about fried. I'm hoping that it will be easier to put it down into writing for other people to understand. (insert insane laughter here)
Thankfully, I have a very supportive roommate who is helping me find all sorts of resources. And bake cookies. And decorate for Christmas. Actually, she even made me a new nativity! You can see it in this picture beside the mini-nativity.
Yes, I collect them. That's why there are all these pictures of them up here right now. :P These aren't all of them, but the majority. I love nativities and how they present the Christmas story. They just are a constant reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. I love St. Nicholas too. Not Santa Clause. The real St. Nicholas story. The European St. Nicholas is dressed more like an archbishop, which I like because it keeps the real meaning of the story there.
Anyway, I love Christmas and all the traditions that surround it. I love the cookie making and Christmas shopping, stuffing stockings, lighting the advent candles and reading the familiar readings, singing carols around the tree, setting up all the nativities, hearing all the parts Christmas story--from Isaiah to Simeon and Anna.

My last picture for the day is the Christmas tree. It is truly beautiful, although the picture doesn't do it justice. And yes, there is a nativity underneath. The most important one, that is the nativity that started my whole collection. It was my great grandmothers. It is difficult to see in the picture, but it is actually a collection of two or three nativities, and includes two angels, three or four shepherds, four wise men, and several animals and now two snowmen. I love it!
Happy Christmas, ya'll!