| |
| |
|
Holidays Information |
|
|
|
A Dash of Cinnamon, A Pinch of the Past, A Smidgen of the Future
Close your eyes and remember December, the smell of cinnamon in your mother's or grandmother's kitchen and the warm scent of dough baking in the oven. Imagine opening the oven door and, with assistance, taking out the heated cookie sheet. Devour the cookies, small works of art, with your eyes: Fudge Brownies, Gingerbread, Nut Rolls, Painted Cookies, Sugar Cookies... With each bite, taste your childhood and family history. You can trace your blood and traditions not by DNA, genealogies and family heirlooms, but by recipes given from one generation to the next, like oral histories handed down in clans before recorded fact caught on. Scholars once sniffed at "women's lore," but the notations of "1 dash nutmeg" and "1 cup chopped nuts," when handwritten on a yellowing page, are as important to memorize as the dates of the American Revolution. They are a tangible reminder of love, care and craft in any society, but particularly in America, where encouragement to eat bags of artificially sweetened store-bought Christmas sweets leave people sugar-craving, guilty, physically and emotionally empty Christmas cookies are the opposite of this trend. They represent home, family, comfort, joy, and tradition. It's a miraculous event when generations gather around the stove to spend a day together, getting their hands dirty and sharing of themselves. It is miraculous because those memories are irreplaceable. It's miraculous because children get curious and ask, for example, "Why are the Christmas cookies German? What was Christmas like when you were my age? Did Santa Claus visit you?" Mother, father, grandmother, and grandfather can share with children the family history and everyday moments in the past, such as, "Your grandmother made a mistake and measured one cup of walnuts when the recipe called for half a cup. But the cookies tasted better, so to this day we always use 1 cup of walnuts in the recipe." By reliving these rare glimpses of a life you may have forgotten, you honor and celebrate yourself as well as your family. Christmas cookies themselves transmit and record history and tradition. In addition, Christmas cookies are a thread to Christmas past, not only our past, but long past. The word cookie came about thanks to Dutch settlers in North America during the 1700s to 1900s. Koek is Dutch for cake, so koekje, later cookie in English, means "little cake." Christmas cookies like German Springerle continue the custom of serving Christmas baked goods started by the Romans, Teutonic/Germanic tribes, and other pre-Christian civilizations. Christian religions sanctified these symbols of worship of the harvest gods by adding a "J" on the top to mark the breads as offerings to Jesus Christ. Ancient European peoples ate gingerbread at Winter Solstice feasts. When you bake gingerbread and Springerle, you're participating in a tradition that endures. In that spirit, here is a recipe for successful cookie-making: Start with 1 family, 1 kitchen, and a box of recipes. Add an uninterrupted period of time. Subtract phone calls, televisions, or any other distractions. For best results, add the Prayer Before Baking from CHRISTMAS COOKIES ARE FOR GIVING: "God bless this mixture with the sweetest and tastiest ingredients: joy, faith, family, friendship, love, and health. Let the scent of this holiday offering rise to Heaven and make the angels sing, for the happiness of mankind is their feast. Let us taste our blessings with each bite as we share the company of our loved ones. Amen." Sprinkle with laughter. Add amusing family stories with a lavish hand. Fold in 1 cup patience and understanding, blended with 1 gallon youthful enthusiasm and a pinch of baking know-how. Eat your mistakes with joy. Bake lovingly and well. Enjoy warm, delicious, Christmas miracle cookie-baking memories for years to come! About The Author Copyright Kristin Johnson. Kristin Johnson is co-author of the "highly recommended" Midwest Book Review pick, Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadablemedia kit is available at our Web site, www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com, or e-mail the publisher (info@tyrpublishing.com) to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of the book. More articles available at http://www.bakingchristmascookies.com.
MORE RESOURCES:
Holidays - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Buying Jewelry for Mother's Day or How To Buy The Perfect Gift for Mom Without Getting Ripped Off Jewelry can be the perfect gift for mom on Mother's Day, but there are pitfalls, especially if you rush at the last minute. Procrastination and a lack of knowledge can be rewarded with overpaying for a piece of jewelry or even worse, being ripped-off. Mother's Day Crafts Make these quick and easy crafts with your children for Mother's day. These can be handmade for Mom or Grandma!Flower Pens for MomIs your mom always looking for a pen around the house, and can't find one? Well make this pen and she'll spot it right away!What You'll Need? Bic Pen (ball point)? silk flower? floral foam? low temp hot glue gun? floral tape? paint or markers? small notepaper or Post-It pads? small to medium sized terra cotta potHow To Do ItNote: Adult supervision is needed when using a glue gun. Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees Putting up and decorating your Christmas tree is a holiday tradition which has been in effect for hundreds of years and will probably be in effect until the end of time. Choosing whether you want a real Christmas tree or an artificial Christmas tree is a dilemma which many of us face every year. Ideas For Toddler Halloween Costumes Depending on the age of your little ones, you may want to keep ideas for toddler Halloween costumes on the simple side. Since most of the very youngest trick or treaters are only going out to amuse the grandparents and immediate neighbors, it needn't be terribly complicated to still bring a lot of smiles. Kid Birthday Party Game Ideas - 7 Proven Winners Here are 7 classic kid birthday party game ideas that are always successful. And you can easily make all of them fit your party theme. SALOME and HERODIAS, A Curious Mothers Day Story, Part 1 of 2 Parts First, a disclaimer:This article requires information about John the Baptist, whose life and works and words are holy, divinely inspired, to Christians. The sources I've accessed are religious, historical, literary, exegetic, and anecdotal. New Year's Resolution - Why Not Resolve To Take Back Your Life? It's time once again for the dreaded New Year's Resolutions. Most of us make them; few of us keep them for more than a few months. Create a Holiday Feast For The Senses This is my daughter's first Christmas. Naomi will be nearly nine months old and eager to explore all that the holidays have to offer. 50 Ways to Acknowledge Your Employees Before and After Labor Day For most people, Labor Day symbolizes the end of summer, back to school, and another long weekend. Deep down however, when we stop for a moment and reflect as we often do on bank holidays, we all know that Labor Day is, in reality, meant to signify a time to recognize the achievement, struggle and determination of the working man and woman. St Valentines Day, Festival of the Matchmakers There are as many as eight possible Valentines Day origins and the three most likely contenders were all early church martyrs.However, before the Christian Saints, the day started as a festival to honour Juno, Queen of the Roman deities. Memorial Day Flowers Monday, May 30th is Memorial Day. Your local florist can provide fresh or silk flowers for honoring the memory of your loved ones. Orlando, The Vacation Station If you were asked to name 10 reasons why you vacationed in a certain place, you would probably start slowing down as you reach 5 or 6. But with Florida the list goes on and on. Perfect Presents for Mom Every year we search our brains for a unique, exciting gift for Mom. We have bought flowers, candy, jewelry, pictures of our kids and us. Its Party Time - Lets Decorate! Holidays are here and so is the spirit of partying. Here are some wonderful ideas for transforming your home into an innovative party scenario and giving your guests an occasion that will forever remain etched in their memories. A Priceless Birthday Gift Kelly was a very wealthy Hollywood actress, who was used to a posh lifestyle. She lived in a multimillion dollar home in Beverly Hills. Christmas Gifts For Bird Lovers Choosing gifts for any animal lovers can be quite a pleasure, as it is often a gift that is shared by the recipient with her animal friends or pets. This is especially so with bird lover gifts. Inexpensive Christmas Stocking Stuffer Ideas For Kids After all the gifts have been purchased and placed under the tree, that is the time that many remember in a panic that the stockings over the fireplace still need to be stuffed. Holiday budgets have most likely been spent and there isn't a whole lot of extra money available. Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas Now that the biggest shopping season of the year is in full swing it might be a good time to create a holiday budget. I'm sure there are lots of names on your list, but hopefully you can find gifts that won't put a big dent in your pocketbook. Outdoor Halloween Decorations Few things are more thrilling for a trick-or-treater than walking up to a house detailed with ghastly Halloween decorations. Whether you use complicated props like swooping ghosts, or simple, classic decorations, like glowing jack-o-lanterns, scarecrows, and indian corn, your house will delight visitors. Holiday Gift Ideas For Antique Lovers 1. Knowledge is Power.
|
| home | site map |
| © 2006 |
