It's a three hour process, but worth every second.
Maybe its a three hour process because I blog in the middle of it...
I'm not really sure.
Sugar cookies hold a very special place in my heart.
They make me think of my Grampa. And my Grama. And my Dad.
But mostly my Grampa.
I love the way they smell so delicious as they bake.
I love the little balls of dough that "accidentally" fall into my mouth.
And I love the flour on my nose.
I love listening to Christmas music while I cook.
I love making frosting in at least six different colors.
I love the snow outside.
Sugar cookies are more than just a treat.
They are a connection to ancestors, a link to extended family.
They are a tradition.
Sugar cookies will forever mean more than dirty dishes.
I don't even mind cleaning up, because of the glorious product.
Sugar cookies are worth it.
I love looking at the tree after the cookies are done.
It is a satisfying adventure, making sugar cookies.
And I can't wait to share them.
With you!
5 comments:
What a sweet tribute! I made five dozen cookies yesterday, and felt the same kind of nostalgia. Merry Christmas Carters! We love you!
Sugar represent everything good about Christmas. Memories, family, children, parents, friends. I can remember pans and pans of cookies being made by parents. Demarious found the recipe, (a family recipe in her drawer of recipes, which itself is a magical place. I don't think I ever saw the drawer, but when she needed a recipe, wham, in her hands would appear out of the drawer the perfect recipe for a meal that would be like no other meal. That drawer traveled with her, but i still don't know where it is!)
Dad made the cookies. We are lucky to have the refined magical recipe. It comes with angels that add an extra bit of this (love and flavor) and that (a whisper to friends and family that the cookies a done). I witnessed the evolution and trial of new recipes. I remember the year we added Candycane cookies. Dough colored red and green, rolled and crooked to resemble candy canes. They were Huge. (dad's hands were not petite). Between me and the dogs (remember, they were huge, the tree, when it saw the dogs nearby, would bow it's boughs and let one slide to the ground) we consumed them faster than they could be hung. They were more like shepherd's staffs in size. Each cookie a meal in itself. Marvin, my brother would appear from his nest and would enjoy the tree. We would play ping pong for hours, with cookie breaks between each round. The tree didn't stand a chance of remaining decorated. That was the point. It was a quiet way of saying, I love you, let me make something for you, come as often as you would like and I will tell it to you again. So, Mom, thank you for the recipe out of your mystical/magical box of consumable goodness. Dad, thank you for embracing and sustaining the tradition. I heard you say "I love you" in more ways than you will ever know. Friends and family, and strangers, Let us share a treat together that represents sincere love and acceptance. Karen, thank you for being wise enough to not let traditions die, Roxanne, thank you for continuing to give life to this tradition. You have experienced the magic. The time it takes is nothing in comparison to the feelings of love that return.
The magic is love.
(As I worked late last night, I smelled the cookies in the air. I heard laughter and joy upstairs as even friends come at the midnight hour to experience the feelings that surround this event. Then, as we sat in the studio, finishing a project, a plate of cookies arrived for one and all to share. It is magical)
jdc
Roxy, thank your for remembering the sugar cookies and all the traditions your father has pased on to you from our family. don't forget that grandpa said you had to have flour on your nose to make it taste good!
The tradition of adorning the christmas tree with sugar cookies began when Marvin, Charles, Frank and John were just little boys. In the beginning there were santa's, christmas trees, stars and bells. As the years went by others were added. all in sugar cookie dough!
My father, your great grandfather, use to take a needle and thread and he made us beautiful garlands of fresh cranberries and popcorn to drape and caress the cookies on the tree. when your grandfather retired from the Post Office he took over the wonderful assignment of making the cookies. He became even more creative by making faces on the santa's, putting colored lights on the cookie trees. The stars were always yellow and the bells were blue. He became even more creative by dying the dough red and green and then braiding them like big candy canes. They looked so beautiful on the tree. One time I counted 250 decorated cookies on the tree. Our tree always touched the ceiling, and cookies were "stolen" from behind so parents wouldn't know they were missing. but they knew we knew when the smell of more cookies from the oven came from the kitchen. Marvin always visitted the most. How he loved those cookies. One year he ate so many he had to go for a couple of days without stealing any more. After the death of my father, your grandfather took over stringing the cranberries and popcorn. There was popcorn all over the room ut he did a magnificient job. He had that job down to an art.
The cookies had to be moved up as Panda and Lulu Belle discovered the rare treat and was helping themselves to the lower branches. Or. . .maybe the tree did bend a little so they could partake of the treat!
When John had recitals at Christmas time, all of our guests were invited to take a cookie from the tree as they would leave from the glorious evening of beautiful music, good food and christmas glory.
Your grandfather loved to cook so much. He was always writing down recipes. I love it when I go to one of my many cookbooks and there in his handwriting is a recipe that he had scribbled down. I leave them where I find them and smile as I re-read what he has written. My cookbooks contain many memories tucked away inside. That is why John cannot find my recipe drawer. . .it is locked inside my heart.
Grama Demarious
Sugar Cookies will always hold a special place in my heart, they carry memories of Christmas, family, and love. Christmas is a time of giving and sharing. It is a time we rejoice in the present and the presence of others. I love Christmas for the reason of giving, and nothing brings the magic of Christmas into my heart like the smell of sugar cookies and the laughter that always accompanies it. Thanks mom and dad for not letting the traditions die. And Roxy, for making me remember to love and share like grandpa did every day. Whenever I see a dime or a sugar cookie I remember his smiling face. There is something magical about the cookies, and the smiles and joys that they bring make it all worth it. Grandma, I now know why everything you make tastes better. It has a pinch of passion and a 3 tablespoons of love!
Christopher
I love sugar cookies too! I wish we could see you with flour on your nose, dancing in the kitchen to Christmas music--We can imagine it though. Lots of love and Christmas joy from the Passeys
XOXO
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