At this time of year, most of us start the day not knowing what to do first.

Do you head to the post office to mail off presents? Should you sit and write the Christmas cards? Perhaps wrapping some of the gifts you've hidden away will create closet space so you can put your shoes away. Can you summon up the energy to string the lights on the Christmas tree so the decorating can begin? Those wrapped presents have to go somewhere. You still have to slip away to the mall to buy more gifts. The laundry has piled up and the treadmill is calling. As if. And what about watching that Peanuts Christmas special you recorded?

At times like this, I head to the kitchen. I concentrate on creaming butter, sifting flour, rolling out dough and piping batter onto parchment paper.

It's so much simpler to wrap myself up in the pleasures of Christmas cookies. The aromas wafting through the house elevate everyone's spirits. The spicy scents of nutmeg, ginger and cloves make the best aromatherapy. And the gingerbread cookies aren't bad, either.

It's a gift to be baking for others. That's your reward.

Don't be anxious about making a misstep. Three of

us have tested recipes from four sources: "The Busy

People's Fun, Fast, Festive Christmas Cookbook" by

Dawn Hall (Rutledge Hill Press); "Christmas Cookies from the Whimsical Bakehouse" by Kaye Hansen and Liv Hansen (Clarkson Potter); www.butterisbest.com, a Web site of the Wisconsin dairy producers; and a family recipe box.

We try new recipes each year because Christmas cookies shouldn't just be good. Sometimes they have to be whimsical, too.

We've adjusted times so you won't over-brown the cookies as we did in some cases. We've lowered the temperatures so the nuts won't over-roast. (That doesn't smell so good.) We've also simplified some.

Baking can be hard work, especially for some cookies, but for taste, we sacrifice. When you offer those cookies as a treat, or a gift, the appreciation makes it all worth it.

Try not to let all those errands prevent a cookie fest. Delegate. Send someone else to the post office.

Tell them you're too busy crafting food joy.

Here we go - our top cookie recipes …

Candy Canes

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

5 drops red food coloring (or enough food coloring to make the dough red)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease 2 cookie sheets.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, cream butter, confectioners' sugar, egg and extracts until well-combined. Add and mix flour and salt at low speed until well-combined.

Remove half of the dough from the mixing bowl. Add food coloring to remaining dough.

Divide the red and the uncolored dough into 9 equal pieces. On a board, roll 1 piece of each kind of dough into logs of equal length (approximately 9 inches). If the dough begins to stick, sprinkle the board with a little confectioners' sugar. Repeat with the remaining dough. Chill the logs for 10 minutes. Place 2 logs (1 red, 1 white) side by side and lightly twist together. Curve the top to form a cane. Repeat with the remaining logs. Arrange the candy canes 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly colored. Let the cookies cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 9 large candy canes.

- "Christmas Cookies from the Whimsical Bakehouse," by Kaye Hansen and Liv Hansen

Christmas Wreath Cookies

2 tablespoons margarine

3 cups miniature marshmallows

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon green food coloring

4 cups cornflakes

56 cinnamon candies, optional

In a medium-size nonstick saucepan, melt the margarine over low heat. Then add the marshmallows, stirring constantly. When the marshmallows are melted and the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and stir in the almond extract and green food coloring.

Stir in the cereal.

Onto a piece of wax paper that has been sprayed with nonfat cooking spray, place quarter-cup mounds of the cereal mixture. Spray your hands with nonfat cooking spray, if needed, and shape the mounds into wreaths.

Decorate each wreath with four cinnamon candies.

Let cool to harden.

Makes 14 cookies.

- "The Busy People's Fun, Fast, Festive Christmas Cookbook," by Dawn Hall

Almond Fingers

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup egg whites (6 or 7 egg whites)

1-2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/2 pounds (7 cups) sliced natural almonds

12 ounces semisweet chocolate

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla. Gradually mix egg whites, adding more egg whites only after the last addition has been fully incorporated. Continue mixing at medium speed until well-creamed. Add flour and mix at low speed until combined.

Scoop the dough into a pastry bag with a number 12 round tip (or cut a small hole in a new pastry bag and use no tip). Pipe 3-inch lines of dough 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets.

Cover one pan of cookies generously with the sliced almonds. Holding the two back corners of the parchment paper and the pan, lift the pan and shake off the excess almonds onto a piece of parchment paper. Repeat with the second pan. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the pans cool completely on a wire rack.

Melt the chocolate and place it in a bowl. Spread on the flat side of one cookie and sandwich the flat side of another cookie. Then dip tip in and put on wax paper to dry.

Makes 4-1/2 dozen cookies.

- Adapted from "Christmas Cookies from the Whimsical Bakehouse," by Kaye Hansen and Liv Hansen

Gianduja Bells

4 ounces (1 cup) hazelnuts

1 cup sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour

3 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1-1/2 cups Nutella

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

On a sheet pan, toast hazelnuts at 300 degrees for 8 minutes or until fragrant. When cool, finely chop the nuts, and set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the chopped nuts, sugar and flour. Add butter and mix at low speed until the dough comes together.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out 1/4-inch thick. Cut out shapes using bell cookie cutters. Arrange 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly colored. Let the pan cool completely on a wire rack.

Turn over half of the cookies. Spread about 1 teaspoon of Nutella onto each of the turned cookies. Sandwich them together with the unturned cookies.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.

- "Christmas Cookies from the Whimsical Bakehouse," by Kaye Hansen and Liv Hansen

Shortbread Snowflakes

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 pound cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Decorative sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease 2 cookies sheets.

Sift together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl of an electric mixer. Add butter and mix on low until the dough comes together.

On a lightly floured board, roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/4- to 3/8-inch. Cut out with snowflake cookie cutters. Arrange 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Prick each cookie with a fork. Sprinkle lightly with colored sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly colored. Let the cookies cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Makes 4 to 5 dozen cookies.

Note: Make sure to use a stand mixer for this recipe, as it takes at least 15 minutes to mix the cold butter with the flour and sugar. And it makes a mess! Check frequently while baking, since the butter causes them to burn fairly quickly.

- "Christmas Cookies from the Whimsical Bakehouse," by Kaye Hansen and Liv Hansen

Macadamia Brittle Cookies

For the praline:

8 ounces (1-3/4 cups) macadamia nuts

2/3 cup sugar

Line cooking sheet with parchment paper. Put aside.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. On a sheet pan, toast macadamia nuts for 8 minutes or until fragrant. When the nuts are cool, coarsely chop them, and set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, cook sugar over moderate heat. Shake the saucepan 2 or 3 times until the sugar melts, then cook without stirring until the sugar becomes caramel-colored. Remove from the heat and add 1/2 cup of the toasted macadamia nuts (reserve the remaining nuts). Pour the praline nut mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and let cool completely.

For the cookie dough:

Praline mixture

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Grease 2 cookie sheets.

Break apart the praline into pieces and grind into a food processor. Add the remaining toasted macadamia nuts. Continue grinding until medium fine.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer at medium speed, cream butter and confectioners' sugar. Add flour and the praline mixture. Mix. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into 2-1/2-inch logs. Arrange them 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets and flatten each log slightly. Bake for 8 minutes, or until lightly colored. Let the cookies cool in the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

Melt separately:

12 ounces semisweet chocolate

3 ounces white chocolate

Dip one end of each cookie in the melted dark chocolate and let dry on a piece of parchment paper. Drizzle the tops with white chocolate.

Makes 6 to 7 dozen cookies.

Note from Pam Thomas, cookie tester: After I tried plain melted chocolate, I added a teeny bit of Crisco to the melted chocolate, which seemed to make it a bit shinier and harder when dried, but not much.

Makes 6 dozen cookies.

- Adapted from "Christmas Cookies from the Whimsical Bakehouse," by Kaye Hansen and Liv Hansen