“Time for dessert!” I hear my mother-in-law call from the kitchen. The little kids race, the teenagers tuck their phones into their pockets and saunter, the parents and grandparents push themselves up off the couch and wander toward the dessert table.
Everyone has brought their favorites. The table is overflowing with puddings, cakes, pies, and….of course….cookies. I linger a bit longer around the cookies, and it makes me think. To the younger generation, Christmas cookies are just that - sugary, chocolaty, crispy, crunchy, yummy, Christmas cookies. They load up a napkin with their favorites and rush off to play with their newly opened gifts.
Us ‘older’ folks admire, smile, and some even tear up at the sight of cookies and treats that are only made and displayed once a year. I think of the chocolate-peanut butter truffles that I brought. Every Christmas season, I unfold the small, worn, yellow-lined piece of paper with the recipe that my Nana wrote down for me years ago. I read and reread her directions, even though I know them by heart. I study her handwriting, the curve of her penmanship, and am immediately flooded with warm, holiday memories of her bustling around her kitchen cooking, baking, laughing.
For most, I don’t think Christmas cookies are just Christmas cookies. They are a heartfelt connection to memories of family, friends, and happy times. Each year, we make and share these memories with new friends and new family members. It's that little piece of tradition that we enjoy for ourselves and share with others.
Yeah, ok. In the spirit of tradition, I’ll have an extra cookie….or two.
Lisa, I can connect to your "slice" in so many ways! xo
ReplyDelete-Sharyl
I can smell the cookies baking in my mom's oven as I read this. Ahhh the memories.
ReplyDeleteThis hits so true in so many ways... your description of the scene and all the feelings that come with the cookies really ring true for me. I agree that those cookies mean so much more!
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