Gooseberry Patch Christmas: Book 3

I'm a big fan of the Gooseberry Patch Cookbook series. Particularly the large spiral bound versions, but the'Christmas' series produced by Leisure Arts is a little hit or miss for me- Mostly because I prefer recipes instead of crafts, and Christmas has over 80+ pages of crafts and about 40+ pages of recipes. There are some great recipes in this one. Seafood Lasagne, Eggnog Cookies, and Christmas Tree pull-apart rolls. The presentation is cute, and the stories and ancedotes nice and heart-warming If there were fewer crafts, and more recipes, I'm sure I'd like this series more. 4 stars, because the crafts dominate the book a little too much.

Let me say that this is a nice book. But, it doesn't have all the color photos, details and recipes that the later editions do so if you have those, don't expect the same with this one. I buy these for friends annually because they are that great and this one is pretty good. I think the third and fourth are the best so far, and this one is just average. The recipes are incredible, however, so it is worth the price of admission just for those. I love these books and it's hard to be disappointed with them once you start using them.

This book is so full of ideas and suggestions, and it's fun to read. I feel I can adapt some of the gift jar ideas for other holiday giving as well. It's a great book.

I have recently started to collect Christmas decorating/gift making books and this series is by far the best I've come across! The instructions in these books are clear and easy and they show a picture so you can see how it will look. They include many gift mixes and food gifts, which I love and friends and family have always appreciated. Most of the ideas in this book can be accomplished in an afternoon, except for some of the cross stitch and crochet patterns. I am not a huge fan of country decorating; in fact my house is very contemporary. But most of the decorating tips in this book can easily be worked into any décor. If you want to find easy, fun, quick and wonderful ideas for the holidays buy these books, you won't be disappointed. Books 1, 2 and 3 are my personal favorite. The fourth book is great to have, but I found that the recipes in that book were better than the decorating, it was a little more country and old fashioned than the other books!