I’ve always said that in the South, cooking is one way we tell people we love them. Never is that more prevalent than around the holidays. We head into the kitchen with armfuls of sugar, pecans and spices, ready to share our love through cakes, cookies, candies and more.

Each year, we gather as a family a few weeks before Christmas to make a collection of sweets and treats to share with family and friends. It’s become one of my most treasured times of the year with the folks closest to me.

This month, I have the privilege of sharing with y’all the festive recipes that have become staples for us each Christmas.

One of my favorite treats this time of year is my Pecan Snowball Cookies. The buttery shortbread cookies are studded with pecans and coated in fluffy powdered sugar. They look and taste just like the holidays.

My mom’s Martha Washington Candy is a family favorite. She has made this candy every Christmas for as long as I can remember. She’d pull out the exact same giant white bowl every year and turn out untold numbers of these little morsels of deliciousness. They take a little extra effort, but they’re worth every bit of it. 

Chewy Gingerbread Cookies with Eggnog Glaze and Brown Sugar Pecan Pound Cake are both newer additions to the Little Family holiday menu, but both are worthy of inclusion. I usually end up making two to three batches of the gingerbread cookies over the course of the holidays, and the pound cake makes a perfect gift to share with neighbors.

Regardless of what ends up on your table, I hope the holidays find you spending time with the people you love the most. Merry Christmas, y’all!