A heartwarming tale of family, tradition, and homemade treats from my heart to yours! 

Christmas Eve, a night of magic and wonder. As a child, I always looked forward to this special time of year. The soft glow of the Christmas tree, the smell of freshly baked cookies, and the anticipation of Santa's arrival filled the air with excitement.

One particular tradition that I cherished was making Christmas treats with my beloved Granny Lorene. She was a master of the kitchen, and her recipes were legendary. One of our favorite pastimes was creating adorable little chocolate mice. These tiny treats were not only delicious but also a lot of fun to make. She had saved so many large round Christmas tin platters over the years it was so much fun to go into the attic and drag that large bag rattling all the way down the attic steps. 

She would read the classic story or those of us who could read she would let us read out loud while we sat around her kitchen table as she prepared everything we would need to put together these Christmas mice candies. She would joke that “I'm as poor as this little mouse but I got what I need”. She was the most special, gentle of people I had ever met. Although, she was not able to have any biological children of her own she raised her niece and nephew as her own. She was a devoted member of her church and participated in every event she could. She was the best cook and sweets baker I had ever known. Her food was hands down the best in the entire county. 

Not long after she had passed in June of 2003, I had 2 small boys of my own at the time and that first Christmas was difficult without her. After having a total of 3 little boys and they were at an age of appreciate of helping in the kitchen, I decided to gather my materials and that old Twas the Night Before Christmas book and do the same for them that she had done for me. The candy may not have looked as awesome as hers but it reminded me that good people do exist, calm, gentle souls who have no hurtful agenda, no ability to cause discourse or cause disturbances and just like to exist peacefully and appreciate each day as a gift. She had a name it was Granny Lorene Wiggs. Thank you for the good memories and good times I had with you! Now go make this candy with some fun folks and send me pictures to let me know how it turned out! 

Ingredients:

• Melted semi-sweet chocolate ( to stick parts together
• Hershey's Kisses (for the head pointy part for the long nose)
• Almond slivers (for the ears and feet)
• Angel hair pasta (for the whiskers)
• Red hot candy (for the nose)
• Icing (for the eyes)
• Chocolate-dipped cherries with stems (for the body and tail)
• Wax paper
• toothpick or bamboo skewer
• Sanitized bakery tweezers
• Individual clear candy boxes or display them on a nice platter
• Optional you can make rice krispy treats dyed green and red and stick them on top or place them on top of a Christmas cupcake. 

Instructions:

Prepare the Mice Bodies:

• Melt the semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler or microwave.
• Dip the stem of a chocolate-dipped cherry into the melted chocolate to secure it to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Create the Heads:

• Melt the tip of a Hershey's Kiss and attach it to the side of the covered cherry opposite the stem. The stem will be the mouse tail. 

Add the Features:

• Use melted chocolate to attach almond slivers for the ears and feet just behind the flat part of the head.
• Break angel hair pasta into small pieces for the whiskers and attach them with melted chocolate.
• Place a red hot candy on the Hershey's Kiss pointy part for the nose.
• Pipe tiny dots of icing for the eyes. 

As we worked together, Granny Lorene would share stories of Christmases past. She'd reminisce about her childhood, her adopted children, and the joy of family gatherings. Her laughter was contagious, and her love for the holiday season was evident in every word she spoke. She was not wealthy in possessions or money but she loved people of all kinds and she shared that with everyone she ever met or knew her. 

Christmas in my humble opinion should not be so materialistic of wants and gifts that you can buy yourself or someone else through out the year,  it should be about what it means in the grand scheme of things making solid good core memories and being thankful and grateful to God for all that you have and providing what you need. 

Though Granny Lorene is no longer with us, the memories of those Christmas Eves remain. Every time I make these little chocolate mice, I feel a connection to her. It's a way to honor her legacy and keep her spirit alive.

So, this Christmas Eve, as you gather with your loved ones, I encourage you to start a new tradition. Make some chocolate mice, share stories, and create lasting memories. After all, it's the little things that make the holidays truly special. If you share your pictures with me, I will post them on the website.