Instructions

• Combine sugar and Crisco and beat until well blended. Add eggs, syrup and vanilla. Beat until well blended and fluffy.
• Combine dry ingredients except sugar crystals. Add to creamed mixture until well combined.
• Divide dough into 4 quarters and wrap in cellophane wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
• Remove one pack of dough at a time. Roll into a large rectangle about 1/4" thick.
• Alternate sprinkling the red and green sugars in horizontal lines about an inch wide until dough is lightly covered with red and green stripes.
• Roll dough from the top down to form a long log with the sugars inside. Wrap in cellophane and lie flat in the freezer. Repeat with the other dough balls.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove a roll from the freezer and cut into 1/2 inch cookies. Lie flat on a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Bake for about 10 minutes, checking often the last 3. The cookies should be *light* brown to have slightly chewy cookies. Cool on a rack. Cookies will harden some as they cool.