Eleven Pipers Piping

.... or puppies panting in this case.

This is my middle sister, Chrissy with her two "children," Abe and Molly. Abe is a Brussels Griffon and he really is, well, sort of unattractive. He looks like an Ewok pretty much. Poor guy.

While home in Texas during Thanksgiving Chris and I spent most night with Chrissy and her husband Jeremiah in their beautiful home which she had already decorated for Christmas. There twelve foot tree stood in the living-room adorned with maroon and gold ornaments. The stocking were hung, and the nativity was set. Above the breakfast table she had hung red and gold Christmas balls from the chandelier.

Even the tiniest festive adornments had been placed in the kitchen and bathroom and entryway. My sister is very artistic and creative- and her home looked very festive.

I realize this has very little to do with Pipers or Piping, but my sister absolutely LOVES Christmas, which is why her house was decorated before Thanksgiving.... She loves finding just the right gift, and buying things for other people and baking! She is truly a marvelous baker because, unlike myself, she does not try to be chinchy with the sugar, she uses all the butter that the recipe calls for, she doesn't purposefully substitute skim milk for heavy cream and she knows the difference between baking soda and baking powder. I don't even own a double broiler.

She's a wonderful baker of white chocolate covered anything and caramel stuffed whatever and her holiday cookies and bars and truffles LOOK pretty. My baked goods are barely edible and they look, well, like something you wouldn't be proud of plating and taking to a Christmas get-together.

When I think of my sister Chrissy at Christmas I think of snooping in my parents closet, shaken packages, torn edges of wrapped presents and her stacks of gifts of Christmas morning. She liked to pile each of our gifts to see who's stack was the tallest. Obviously. Therefore revealing who mom and dad loved the most.... I was old enough to realize, however, that my charm bracelet and bottle of Exclamation Perfume cost just as much as her marble run and ant farm and leg warmers and basketball and klutz books on how to make your own friendship bracelets. But still, my pile was usually 1/4 the height of hers.

Chrissy loved- and still loves- sweets. For several years the three of us girls go a Whitman's sampler boxes of chocolate. We loved this because there was actually a sheet of paper inside the box that told you which chocolate was which kind. This changed the way I picked my chocolates forever. No more wondering if you would end up with a mouth full of caramel or peanut-butter. And the Strawberry, Lemon and Orange-creme filled squares: forget about it! I was not interested. In an effort to make my sugar last I'd stash this box away, knowing Chrissy's would probably be gone within a day or two.... and then she'd come looking for my candy.

Chrissy was the only daughter with bangs. The only one with brown eyes. The one who could outrun the boys and was terrified of spiders. Christmas is her time to host, buy, decorate, make and give. I'm blessed to call her sister; she is a blessing to so many.