Making Sweet Memories

Every year in November my married daughter begins baking the gazillion cookies that go into her 48 Christmas cookie boxes—the list continues to grow—which she gives to neighbors, friends, associates. Because of the sheer number of cookies she bakes, she only makes those that freeze well. She’s learned from experience that trying to bake this many around the time she’s ready to give out her boxes is a sure recipe for frazzled nerves. 

So this week she baked the second of the seven varieties she’s planning for the holidays, 18 dozen Puckle Warts (Pecan Fingers), and happily I was her “helper.” My job was to roll her dough into logs before she baked them.  It was a sweet time together, time we both carved out of busy schedules.  And it brought back memories of the days when I was the “baker” and she was the “helper.” She’s far surpassed me now, being more creative and daring in the baking department than I ever was. 

We laughed and talked and drank tea and sampled the “goods.” And I realized that just as when she was young and we did these kinds of things together and made sweet memories, so we continue to make them even now. And it made me realize once again, that most of the sweet memories in life are usually carved out of busy schedules.  Life doesn’t often hand us time for those special moments with those we love.  We must grab them, fight for them, set aside other things, perhaps even important things, in order to have them.

As we enter the busy holiday season it’s good to remember that memories will be made no matter what we do. But whether they will be fuzzy and dull, bitter, or sweet, is up to us.

By the way . . . if you have any favorite family Christmas cookie recipes you’d like to share, I’ll post them on my blog site during the Holidays. Your name will be entered in a drawing and after Christmas I’ll send the winner an autographed copy of one of my books. You can choose which one.

Until next week,

Sylvia