Merry Christmas Eve, everyone.

Yep, Christmas Eve is just a day away, ladies and gents. The give-away banan bread loaves cooling, the barbeque marinating, the fruit salad and the fizzy drinks chilling, and the basil and olive oil waiting in line to cuddle into pesto. As for the meantime, my mother is fast asleep on the bed (a good lunch will always do that to you), and here I am, spending quality online time with all you lovely people.

As any holiday spent with my mother, it's bake, bake, bake. I've mentioned the banana bread and the gingerbread, and there's even plans of whipping up a choco-marble cake for New Year's. Oh dear. You know, with all this baking going round, it's not surprising I'd rather not have a big slice or helping of whatever's come out of my oven. It's not so much as fearing all that working-out will probably go to waste with even "just one little cookie", but really! Spending three hours or so just breathing in the aroma of baked goodness is already enough to sate you. Tipong, when all the treats are lain out on racks to cool, all you really ever want to do is just look at them, and stay relieved that your work is finally done.

Besides, why make yourself happy when you can make a lot of other kids happy by sharing?

Presenting a a picture sampler of the gingerfolk...

This is Gingerboy. He has candy circles for eyes and buttons, and white-chocolate-and-candy-sprinkle shoes. He has three dozen brothers, and some sisters who like to dress up like him. Most of them like to boogie. If you look very well, gingerboy here is doing a Saturday Night Fever.

This is Gingerdeer. Gingerdeer has twice as many siblings as Gingerboy; her brothers are okay, but her doe-eyd sisters like to flash their coy, candy-lashed eyes at everyone they meet. They know they're pretty. They have white-chocolate-and-candy-sprinkled antlers and hooves. (and some of you may start saying, "Oh no! So that's where Gingerboy's shoes come from...") Gingerdeer's kin outnumber Gingerboy's brood. Gingerboy is forwarned hence.