2023!
Mon Paris Christmas Cookie Decorating Kit
Max says: Every December, I plan a jolly holiday activity with my youngest relatives. Over the years, that’s included hopping on the Stanley Park Christmas train with Claudia and Tigger; crafting a kibble-and-catnip door wreath with Jessie and Billy; and baking mouse-shaped cupcakes with those naughty scamps Bill and Ben.
This time around, I invited my stripy two-month-old kitten nephews Thomas and Henry over for an afternoon of festive fun. I’d ordered a do-it-yourself Christmas Cookie Decorating Kit from Mon Paris Patisserie––one of my favourite local treat purveyors––and the special pink box was waiting for them when the two ginger fireballs galloped into the house like a furry tornado.
As soon as I opened the box, Thomas let out a yowl of pleasure and ran several laps of the kitchen. Henry, of course, climbed on top of the fridge and beat his tail on it as if it was a huge kettledrum. But by the time I’d put on their little aprons and made them wash their grubby paws, they had calmed down and were very interested in learning and creating.
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The Mon Paris box contains 16 already-baked cookies divided evenly into two designs––gingerbread men and Christmas trees. There are also three squeeze bags of royal icing in red, white and green, the signature colours of the season. In addition, there’s a little baggie of rainbow sprinkles to turn any creation into a sparkling masterpiece.
The good thing about this clever kit is that everything is ready to go. You don't have to spend any time gathering ingredients, mixing icing or baking the cookies. And that means you and your highly creative kitchen assistants can fully concentrate on the fun part of decorating.
For Thomas and Henry, that also meant decorating each other. A giggling Thomas added tasty green baubles to Henry’s whiskers––which he delighted in trying to lick off by stretching his tiny tongue as far as it would go. And Henry completely transformed Thomas’s pointy little tail into a beautifully striped red-and-white candy cane.
But it wasn’t all mayhem. The boys concentrated very hard on producing some charming festive cookie designs. There was definitely some fraternal feline competition as they tried to outdo each other with their multicoloured trees and smiling gingerbread men––we even tried to make some gingerbread cats.
By the end of the afternoon, we had a platter of unique holiday cookies and everyone was tired out after all the fun they’d had. Following a meticulous tongue-bath, Thomas and Henry curled up together in the now-empty pink box and quickly fell asleep. And after removing a stray sprinkle from Henry’s ear, I settled into my armchair for a rewarding glass of catnip eggnog and some delicious cookies.
Rating:
Price: $25
Where to buy: Christmas Cookie Decorating Kits can be ordered now on the Mon Paris website for in-store pick-up between December 15 and 24. The store is located at 4396 Beresford Street, Burnaby. There’s also a delicious array of additional festive treats and gift items to check out on the site, from decadent Yule logs to amazing chocolate poinsettias.
