Christmas Give-Aways
All across the land, Christmas seems to spark an interest in cooking bigger meals, baking more goodies and always having homemade candies and treats available. I personally like to start my holiday cooking the weekend after Thanksgiving, a trick I learned from a good friend. The basics that you’ll find in my home are caramel, truffles and peanut brittle. No matter what else gets done in December, I have those three.
While in 6th grade, I met the Marsilio family. Elaine was the Noon Aid at my school and I had a crush on her son. Since my best friend Regina had known the Marsilio’s much longer, I would accompany her on every visit I could. It was there I learned the true meaning of Christmas baking.
Every year, Elaine started right after Thanksgiving. You could not leave her home in December without first sampling her many delicious treats. After a warm hug and greeting at the door, she would scamper off to the kitchen and bring back platefuls of goodies, the likes of which I had never seen before. The sheer variety just amazed me. I had seen some spreads in my young life, but nothing compared to Elaine’s Christmas treat buffet. With a plethora of tasty morsels before us, Regina and I would settle in for our Christmas catch up session with Elaine.
Even at this young age, I felt like I was somebody special to be treated with this much attention. It wasn’t until I was in my teens that I realized Elaine did this for each guest at her door. But this in no way diminished the special feeling of hospitality I received in her home. Believe me, my yearly visits lasted much longer than the crush did.
She once showed me how she managed all her baking. She made all the cookie dough and pie crusts ahead of time and put them in the freezer. Then, they were pulled out on a batch by batch necessity. The other treats that would stay fresh longer got put in her camper, just outside her back door ( much like the extra refrigerator most of us have in the garage nowadays). She always made double and triple batches of everything. Then, she could sit back, relax, and enjoy her company all season.
For those of us with a harried Christmas season schedule, may I suggest the “Cookie Exchange”. It is quite simple. Just invite 6 to 8 friends over. Have each guest bring as many plates of the same goodie as there will be friends there. That way, you spend only one afternoon cooking a big batch of whatever your specialty is, go to the party with your treats, and come home with a variety. No one will ever know you didn’t make it all yourself, unless you tell them.
To this day, Christmas baking for me is less about food and more about love, generosity, friendship, hospitality, and warm hugs at the door for every guest…no matter the age.
