If it’s November, we must be getting ready for Thanksgiving.

Nope. Oh, the potato casserole is in the freezer next to the spinach casserole. As are the turkey breasts. The mantle is decorated and my velvet pumpkins are all over the house.

But now? We’re getting ready for Christmas. The kids are coming home this year, the first time in about sixteen years.

What does that mean in November, you ask?

It was time to find my old cookie recipe.

And I went at it (I doubled the recipe).

My dough was too soft, despite spending the night in the refrigerator. It took several attempts to roll it out without sticking to the butcher block top of the island. And it took three days to make the cookies. But I did it! And thirteen dozen sugar cookies are now in the freezer awaiting the traditional family decorating event.

But I didn’t stop there.

Banjo Man and I made these. Seventy of them. Do you think that will be enough?

To celebrate, we headed down to the port of Galilee for fish ‘n chips. We watched the fishing boats, the seagulls, the Block Island ferry and simply enjoyed the view while we had a late lunch.

This is my favorite place to eat fish ‘n chips. Order at the window, snag a seat closest to the window facing the breakwater and watch the boats until your buzzer goes off and it is time to pick up lunch.

It’s quiet here in November. A few locals and some die-hard tourists (day trippers maybe?) joined us on Champlin’s Deck. One couple had ordered five lobsters. We tried not to stare, but it was an impressive sight.

Champlin’s will be open during the Christmas holidays, so we hope the kids want to join us one afternoon.

Cookies, meatballs, seafood? That’s Christmas in Rhode Island!!!