Every year in December, for as long as I can remember my family has gathered around the table for one of our most cherished traditions--making Christmas cookies. For over 30 years we've cut out sugar cookies together and decorated them with festive frosting, sprinkles and sparkles. My parents started this ritual when they were first married in 1980, and continued it with me and my sister so we could choose our favorite creations to leave out for Santa. Some years flour wars broke out, while other years called for our full attention to make the most impressively detailed treats, which usually lead to gingerbread men with globs of frosting dunked in sprinkles by the time we reached for the last ones. One year, under the mischievous guidance of my dad, we coated a tree shaped cookie with cayenne pepper and watched giggling and wide eyed as a family friend popped the whole thing into his mouth. Tears formed in his eyes and his face turned bright red as we ran away laughing, leaving a glass of milk on the table.