Notes: Thanks to Mari and Sammy for being their always awesome selves. Another marathon, ladies! Here we go!
Readers and REAL McRollers - Thank you so much for being with us on this long ride! Your support and feedback is always heartwarming and very much appreciated.
Hope you enjoy!
Cookies for Santa (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
"I think Santa would like the M&M cookies best," Joan said, pointing to the picture on one of the recipe printouts on the dining room table and nodding seriously. "They're red and green. Christmas colors!" She and her parents had arrived on the island that morning along with Aunt Deb and Casey. After dropping Casey off at home and Deb at the Rollins' condo, the McGarrett-Reyes trio had arrived at the beach house in time for lunch before what promised to be a fun afternoon of baking cookies for Santa.
DJ bit his lip, looking at the different options. "But these ones are called 'Santa's Thumbprints,' so he'd probably like these best. And they're red and green, too."
"Oh, but these ones look like reindeer!" Joan said, grabbing one of the pages. "He'd definitely like these."
"What do you think, Angie?" DJ asked his sister who was staring excitedly at the many possibilities. "Which cookies would Santa like best?"
"Santa like all da cookies!" Angie said definitively.
Catherine chuckled as she entered the dining room and bent to kiss Angie's head. "I think you're confusing Santa with you, baby girl." She straightened and looked at the three children. "Have you decided which recipe you want to make for Santa's cookies? Kaitlyn will be here soon to bake with you and Aaron and Nonna, and we'll need to do a store run if we don't have all the ingredients for whatever you pick."
"We can't decide, Aunt Cath," Joan said. "We think Santa really would like them all." She looked over as Aaron and Mary joined them. "Can you look it up on Google, Daddy?"
"Which cookie Santa would like best?" he repeated. "I'm not sure if that's on Google, pumpkin."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Mary retorted. She smiled at the kids. "But I'm sure Santa will love whichever cookie you pick."
"Ohh look at this one with the Santa hat!" Joan squealed, picking up another of the recipe pages Kaitlyn had sent over.
"What's the white stuff on top?" DJ asked, peering at the picture.
Aaron glanced at the ingredient list. "Looks like coconut flakes."
"Then I think that will definitely be Santa's favorite," Steve said as he joined the group.
"I thought coconut was your favorite, Daddy," DJ said.
"Yeah, what a coincidence," he replied, straight-faced.
Catherine nudged him, fighting a smile, and Mary rolled her eyes.
"Anyway …" Mary continued. "When do the other master bakers arrive?"
"Any minute," Steve said. "Gracie texted that they picked up Kaitlyn and are on the way."
"But we haven't decided yet!" DJ said worriedly.
"It's okay, honey," Catherine said. "We'll help you pick."
"I see what you guys mean," Aaron said, looking through the recipes. "This is a tough decision." He smiled. "These Ho Ho Ho sugar cookies are cute."
"You realize you're adding to the problem, don't you?" Mary said and he smiled ruefully in response.
A few minutes later, the front door opened and Nonna, Grace, Kaitlyn, and Danny came in.
"Nonna! You he'we to make cookies?" Angie asked, running over to greet the new arrivals.
"Hello, angel. Yes, I am. I'm honored the two master bakers invited me to make cookies with them again."
Kaitlyn beamed. "We're so excited you're here to bake with us, Nonna. You're like the master of masters." She looked at the kids. "And I'm really excited to hear which cookie you guys picked to make."
"Well, we have a little problem there," Aaron admitted.
"Oh no, what?"
"We can't decide!" Joan said. "They all look so good."
"And we think Santa would like them all," DJ added.
Kaitlyn and Aaron exchanged a look.
"I think there's only one solution," Aaron said knowingly.
Kaitlyn nodded. "Cookie Wars."
Mary snorted. "How did I guess that was where this was going all along?"
"What's Cookie Wars?" DJ asked.
"It means we're going to make all the cookies and then everyone will try them and decide which one is the best!" Joan said excitedly.
"Yay!" Angie cried. "All da cookies!"
Danny grinned, rubbing his fingers together. "And as an official tester, it sounds like this is going to work out very well for me."
Catherine scanned the recipe pages. "It looks like we have a lot of the ingredients already. We'll just need a quick store run for a few of the special items."
"On it," Steve said, holding out his hand for Danny's key's which his partner handed over with a roll of his eyes. "Text me a list."
"Let's get the kitchen ready!" Grace said, waving to Kaitlyn and the kids. "Come on."
"We makin' all da cookies for Santa!" Angie exclaimed, running after Grace.
Catherine grinned as she watched them go. "All the cookies indeed."
"Thanks for coming," Catherine said, opening the door to let the additional taste testers in.
"You said 'free cookies,' we're here," Dylan quipped.
"The master bakers and their assistants have outdone themselves," Mary said. "There are a lot of cookies in that kitchen right now, and they still can't decide which ones they think Santa will like best."
"I do have some experience in the red suit," Joseph said after checking that the younger kids weren't in earshot. "So I think my opinion will be invaluable."
"Oh, that's right, Uncle Joseph!" Jacob said. "You wore the Santa suit for Shop with a Cop a couple years ago."
"Mom, were you able to find–" Catherine began.
"In bulk," Elizabeth said, passing her a bag. Catherine glanced inside and smiled.
"Perfect."
"You'e he'we to see da cookies!" Angie said from the doorway of the kitchen. There were frosting smudges on her face, hands, and tiny apron as well as in her hair. "We make dem for Santa."
"Looks like you've been a very good helper, munchkin," Deb said.
"I helping!" Angie confirmed with an emphatic nod. "With da spwinkles."
"She only managed to eat a couple dozen while putting them on the cookies," Aaron chimed in from behind her.
"Hi, everybody!" Joan said as she and DJ joined Angie in the doorway. They were slightly cleaner than Angie, but only slightly.
"The cookies are all done," DJ told them.
"I hope everyone is hungry," Grace said. "There are a lot of cookies."
"Bring 'em on," Danny said eagerly.
"I mean, like, really a lot a lot of cookies."
"We have a plan," Catherine assured them. "How about we all go out on the deck for the taste-test?"
"Perfect," Nonna agreed.
A few minutes later, the bakers trooped out with trays upon trays of holiday cookies.
"Oh wow," Deb said, eyes widening. "When you said a lot of cookies …"
"Ohh these look amazing," Jenna said. She squeezed Kaitlyn's arm. "Look at the little reindeer, those are so cute."
"Those are reindeer cookie balls," Kaitlyn told her.
"We got to use the machine to chop up the cookies!" Joan said excitedly. "What's it called, Daddy?"
"The food processor," he supplied. "Crushed up cookies and pretzels combined with cream cheese and dipped in melted chocolate."
"Then pretzels for the antlers and sprinkle eyes and red noses!" Joan finished.
"Ooh, I like the sound of cookies and pretzels and cream cheese," Cody said.
"Here are the Santa's Thumbprints," DJ said, pointing to sugar cookies with red or green icing in the center dips.
"I use my thumb!" Angie said, holding up the digit proudly.
"Yes, you did, angel," Nonna said. "You did a wonderful job making spots for the icing."
"Dat's wed and dat's gween," Angie said, pointing to the different colors.
"I think Santa would like the red ones best," DJ said, "but we made both just in case."
"Good idea, buddy," Steve said, squeezing his shoulder with a smile.
"What else do we have here?" Grandma Ang asked. "M&M cookies?"
"Yes!" Joan said excitedly. "M&M Chocolate Cookies! They're red and green, too!"
"Definitely a color theme," Joseph observed with a wink.
"I love M&M's!" Jacob said.
"Oh, these are super cute," Casey said. "Santa hat cookies."
"Aren't they?" Grace said. "They're coconut macaroons with red and white frosting for the hat and coconut flakes for the trim and pom pom."
"Oooh that sounds so good," Casey said, barely stopping herself from reaching for one.
"I'll say," Steve agreed.
"And because the thumbprints and Santa hats didn't get everyone nearly covered enough in icing," Aaron joked, "we also made the Ho Ho Ho sugar cookies and decorated them."
"We all got to take turns to decorate so that's why they look different," DJ said. He pointed to an H and an O cookies, decorated with red and green and white frosting. "I made that one, and that one. Angie made that one …"
"The one with more sprinkles than cookie, who would have ever guessed?" Catherine teased, tickling the three-year-old and making her giggle.
"I made this one to look like Santa's suit and his belt," Kaitlyn said.
"That looks really good, Kaitlyn," Dylan said sincerely.
"I think Santa would really like that one," DJ said seriously. "So maybe when we test them we could leave that one?"
Elizabeth smiled, leaning down to kiss his head. "We can definitely do that, sweet boy."
"All right, all right, enough yapping, let's get to taste testing," Danny said.
"Daniel," Nonna scolded.
He held up both hands. "I'm just saying what everyone is thinking."
"We thought we could break up the bigger cookies in pieces so everyone isn't eating five cookies each," Grace said.
"Very good idea," Mary said, eyeing her already excited daughter and inwardly cringing at the thought of her eating five cookies.
"My blood sugar thanks you," Deb added.
While everyone had their favorites after the taste test, in the end they decided that Santa would indeed like all of the cookies so decided his plate would have one of each on it on Christmas Eve.
"You all did such a good job baking that I think Santa will be very happy," Grandma Ang said.
"Santa will eat all da cookies!" Angie agreed.
"Well, all the cookies on his plate," Grace said. She surveyed the tables. "That leaves a lot of cookies left."
"Maybe we could make up plates for our family and friends," Kaitlyn suggested.
"That's a wonderful idea, honey," Jenna said.
"It is," Catherine agreed, retrieving the bag that Elizabeth had brought over. "And we have just the plates to use right here." She pulled out one of them and gave it to her mother to explain.
"These are called Giving Plates. There's a little poem on here encouraging whoever receives it to enjoy what's on the plate, then fill it up and pass it on."
"Oh, that's lovely," Deb said.
"Beautiful," Nonna agreed.
"We'll start making a list of people we can deliver to!" Grace said, tugging Casey and Kaitlyn toward the door with her.
"We'll start filling plates," Elizabeth said.
"And we'll do a quick clean-up before delivery," Mary said, eyeing Joan and DJ and even Aaron as Catherine picked up Angie who had managed to snag a leftover quarter of an M&M cookie.
"Some quicker than others," Catherine said, shaking her head at the amount of frosting Angie had gotten on herself.
The delivery party of Steve, Catherine, Angie, DJ, Joan, Aaron, Grace, Kaitlyn, and Nonna headed out while the rest stayed behind to clean up, claiming it was their obligation after the delicious cookies they'd enjoyed.
After stops at Frank and Kathy Kayama's house and a few others in the neighborhood, they drove to drop off plates with Chin and Leilani, Kono and Adam, Carrie and John, Duke and his wife, the Grover family, and Esther and Kamekona. Another plate went to Miss Kristin and the other staff at the library, as well as the shelter where Kaitlyn volunteered. They dropped off a plate to the security guards at HQ, and a few to the staff at the governor's office. Angie then insisted they find her friend Senatow Peawl to give her a plate.
Every recipient was charmed and delighted at the younger children's explanations of why they thought Santa would like each of the cookies and promised to pass their Giving Plates along.
A few more stops were made in the Rollins' condo complex, ending with Nonna's newest friend Gretchen from her flight to the island, and Gretchen's sister Eleanor.
"We have cookies!" Angie announced when Eleanor opened the door.
"Hi, Mrs. G," Grace said, waving from behind the younger kids.
"Well, hello, everyone," Eleanor said before turning back and calling to her sister. "Gretchen, come and see. We have the most adorable visitors."
"Nonna!" Gretchen exclaimed upon joining them. "It's so good to see you again."
"And you," Nonna returned. "You already know my bambina Grace. This is more of my wonderful famiglia." She introduced the others and Eleanor explained the Rollins family connection to her sister.
"We have cookies!" Angie said again.
DJ held out the plate to the sister. "We made cookies for Santa."
"But we made so many that Santa couldn't eat them all so we're sharing them," Joan continued. "You can leave them out for Santa or you can eat them if you already made cookies for Santa."
"That's a Giving Plate," Kaitlyn added. "After it's empty, you can fill the plate with your favorite dessert and share it with someone else."
"What a wonderful idea," Eleanor said.
"Thank you so much for sharing," Gretchen added.
"You' welcome!" Angie automatically replied.
"Are you enjoying your visit?" asked Nonna.
"Very much," Gretchen admitted. "We're working our way through the list you helped me make."
Nonna beamed. "Wonderful!"
"And your parents and grandmother have been very kind and welcoming," Gretchen added.
Catherine smiled.
"Getting yummy treats like this from adorable delivery elves like you just may be the clincher," Eleanor added with a twinkle in her eye.
"We' not elves," Angie said, her brow furrowing. "Santa have elves."
Aaron dropped the elf hat he had been wearing onto her head. "There we go. Now you're an elf, Angie."
She giggled as the hat dropped over her eyes and pushed it up so she could see again. Looking up at the two sisters and their plate of cookies, she asked, "I have a cookie, please?"
Eleanor glanced behind her to where Steve and Catherine were frantically shaking their heads. She stifled a chuckle at their reaction and looked back to the hopeful young face in front of her. "I'm guessing you've already had quite a few today, little elf."
Angie nodded proudly. "I twy all of dem."
"And if you have any more, there won't be any left for Santa," Gretchen added.
Angie's eyes widened and she looked at DJ and Joan who wore similar expressions. She pursed her lips thinking hard for a moment. Everyone held their breaths, waiting for her response. Finally, she smiled and nodded decisively.
"All da cookies fo' Santa."
Hope you enjoyed!
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