Officially I am on vacation until next year. Reality is that I will be going into my office at least two mornings this week to make sure deliveries are made and plans for next year are complete. With the actual time I will have off before Christmas, I will be attempting to spread Christmas Cheer. The best way that I know to do that is through charity.

Charity comes in many forms. I will be donating to various causes with new clothes and toys and food. I will be donating usable items that my family does not use or need any more to various organizations (Good Will, St. Vincent DePaul, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled Veterans, to name just a few – yes I do have that much stuff to give away as I have two kids in college and one in high school). I will be making monetary donations all around town (Salvation Army is the most visible). I will also be making cookies for my office, the office my wife works at, a couple of schools, my boy scout troop and a couple of churches.

The great thing about charity is that it makes you feel much better than the actual cost of anything you give away and charity can be in the form of volunteering (through your church, synagogue or mosque or through an organization like the United Way) which costs nothing but time.

Now, I give away most of the cookies I make for two reasons, actually. I really enjoy making them, but as many of you have seen from my other articles, I have trouble keeping my weight under control. So in being charitable, I also protect myself from myself.

The great thing about charity is that it makes you feel much better than the actual cost of anything you give away and charity can be in the form of volunteering (through your church, synagogue or mosque or through and organization like the United Way) which costs nothing but time.

To keep myself organized this year, I compiled the recipes of my favorite recipes. Most of these recipes have been modified over time to meet the taste preferences of my family (such as substituting crushed graham crackers for nut coatings since my sister has a nut allergy). I am providing a copy of that compilation (it is only 6 pages and 11 recipes) to Kosmo to distribute to any of our readers who want it. I encourage you to keep writing, be charitable and spread the calories.

Download Martin’s cookie recipes (PDF)