The Best Christmas Gifts

All our lives we have asked others, "so, what did you get for Christmas?"

That being said, I'd like to explain my favorite type of gift and why this year was so special. Growing up very poor, we always gave hand made gifts for Christmas. This is one of the reasons I loved wood shop in school as well as a leather class I took back when school also had drivers ed and all the cool stuff school can't afford any more but our taxes keep going up?

Nevertheless, making gifts left you free and clear from spending too much and or not enough on someone because you couldn't put a price tag on it.

For the past two years I had heard about one of my neighbors making the finest Cheesecake on the Eastern Shore and the fact that this is what she gave out to her friends at Christmas time. She'd slave for days on end making literally a hundred or more of these cakes and one day near Christmas I dropped by her farm to get some hay and the smell was overwhelming!

YYYYYUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!! I asked what she was doing/cooking and she said, oh, just making the usual cheesecakes I give out for Christmas. I explained how my ex used to make a mighty fine cheesecake and how if there was anything I ever missed from that woman, that was it.

Folks, this woman is a spectacular human being. She has over 400 acres in which she farms, ALONE! She raises chicken several times a year for one of the local chicken producers and she tends a huge farm as well as bails hay and the whole nine yards. I thought Jennifer put in a tough day at the Zoo when she used to work there but let me tell you, this woman blows that away.

We arrived home the other night to a white box sitting on the front deck and it said, "Merry Christmas from the Hay Lady." I knew immediately what it was and I'm sorry to say, I knew this gift was extra special. I couldn't resist cutting off a small piece of this pie to see if the legendary story was as true as a hundred people had said. OMG! Talk about GOOD! This is by far the best cheesecake I have ever had in my lifetime!

Thanks Susan!