The best Christmas gifts

Our first day in this small little house was filled with painting walls and cleaning floors. All the housework was brought to an abrupt halt when we heard the knock at our new front door. There stood a very nice lady holding a big 12" by 18" baking pan covered with tin foil. "Just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood" she said as she gently offered her pan to me. "My name is Bee" she added.

Coming from a larger town - just a few minutes up the road - where I only knew the names of one or two neighbors I was a bit surprised by this great and generous gesture of kindness. Well, Bee has yet to let a Christmas slip by without bringing over some kind of Christmas goodies for our little family to enjoy.

This year - it was one of my favorite Christmas treats. A delicacy that for some unknown reason I only seem to ever get to enjoy during this wonderful time of the year. This year Bee brought over a plate full of her very own fudge! My son and I had barely shut the door before ripping the foil off the plate to see what kind of treat Bee had brought over this year! He dug in right away. And, of course, I couldn't let him eat alone!

Thank You, Dear Lord, for neighbors like Bee. And for fudge at Christmas!

Here is a great recipe for fudge if you feel like making some for your neighbors this Christmas season -

What you'll need:

1 3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup Evaporated Milk

3 tablespoons butter (unsalted if you have it)

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups miniature marshmallows

1 3/4 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans ( totally optional )

Line an 8 inch baking pan with foil.

In your favorite saucepan from your best stainless steel cookware combine the sugar, milk, butter and salt. stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a rolling boil. Continue stirring and let it boil for a few minutes ( 4 or 5 ). Remove from stove top and stir in the mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, walnuts or pecans ( if you like ) and the vanilla extract.

Pour into the foil-lined baking pan and refrigerate for a couple hours. remove from the refrigerator and take your delicious creation out of the pan and cut into little 1 inch squares. See if you can eat just one! Share with someone you love. Find some mistletoe and..... well... you know the rest.

Merry Christmas!