The Valentine’s production line

I like to make holidays a homemade affair. So when I saw the Thomas the Train pack of Valentines in the grocery store, the idealist in me said, “Nope, Will’s going to paint construction paper hearts for his friends.” Then I imagined with what joy Will would go through the Thomas cards picking out trains to bestow upon his classmates – and how easy it would be – and I caved and went the pre-made route.

A wise choice. Because there were still all these Valentines to make for grandparents, great grandparents and an aunt and uncle– we worked at Will’s whimsy over a couple of days whenever he was in the mood, dabbling in paint and marker and spelling W-i-l-l from right to left and left to right and top to bottom and every way in between.

And then we baked heart-shaped sugar cookies for his classmates too – plopped in sandwich bags and tied with red ribbon with a no-hassle Thomas the Train Valentine attached. (We turn in valentines on Tuesday at his preschool so that the super-organized teachers can dole out the cards and treats to the appropriate recipients and avoid a bunch of chaos in the classroom).

It’s a fun excuse to send cards and bake for others, to discuss all the kids in Will’s class – but by the end of a holiday prep weekend, even with our pretty minimal project load, I feel a tad bit tuckered out. By the time Owen’s got classmates to greet and feed, we’ll probably be handing out nothing but store-bought stuff.

**Here’s a sugar cookie short-cut I discovered: Try this food network recipe, which suggests that you roll the cookies out on a surface dusted with powdered sugar instead of flour. Then you can skip using icing entirely and the sweetness is just right, for my tastebuds at least.