Sorry Not Sorry, Santa — No Cookies for You

I am a sugar addict and plan to focus on merry notes that replace baking this Christmas — our health, my teal velvet dress and a sweet, fragrant orange.

I am hooked on sugar and trying to break the bond— there, I said it — so Santa, you will not find these accoutrements in our house this Christmas Eve.

1. Christmas tree cookies with melted-chocolate swags. I made my first batch of buttery sugar-cookie dough in the International Chefs’ Club at Dumont High School (New Jersey) in the 1970s. As a younger mother, I left you a plateful and a note, first with our daughter Annie, and then with Skippy. If our girls were still believers now and the stars were in their courses, you would be fortunate to find a beautifully trimmed cookie from The Little Daisy Bake Shop. A sugar addict like me cannot handle the big batch anymore.
2. Snow drifts of cream. Cool Whip, Reddi-wip or homemade whipped cream on a waiting mug of hot chocolate — not going to happen. Whipped toppings are pillowy, swirly, caplike and inviting, but it’s too hard for me to co-exist with them beyond a single serving; my spoon beckons, again and again.
3. Soft landings for your sleigh. Marshmallows, in any way, shape or form call out to me from the cabinets — fancy rose-infused cubes from Ladurée Paris; vegan pink peppermint Dandies; or a jar of Marshmallow Fluff, now in production for 100 years. No can do, not this Yuletide.
4. Mini you. I love the festive foil wrappers and retro vibe of…