Holiday Traditions | Sincerely, Jackie New York Wedding Invitations
I grew up in a home where there were a lot of little traditions sprinkled throughout the year. As my brother and I got older, and as the family grew and evolved, so did the traditions. In fact, many of the traditions have faded – no more donuts every Sunday morning, and that’s a good thing! However, there is one tradition that has only grown stronger over the years.
Baking Christmas cookies.
Growing up we would bake cookies as a family, or rather, my parents would bake the cookies and my brother and I would drench them with icing. We looked forward to doing this every year, as I am sure many children do – as it gave us an excuse to eat lots of sweets! Each year we made the same varieties; sesame, sugar, and thumbprints cookies. The thumbprint cookies, with strawberry jelly, were always my favorite.
As the years passed, my brother became less interested in baking, and my mother, who was never interested in baking in the first place, happily left the tradition to my dad and I. For years, my dad and I would make the thumbprint and sesame cookies together – making bets on whether or not the cookies would grow too large while baking, or on how many cookies we’d get out of the dough.
Five years ago I had a surgery just before Christmas, and I was in no shape to help my dad with the cookies, but the tradition needed to continue. My husband stepped up in my place, to assist my dad with all the baking. There was something so heartwarming about seeing the two most important men in my life, side by side, baking cookies, blasting holiday music, and making corny jokes.
That night, a new tradition was created. Ever since that night, cookie baking has become my husband and father’s tradition. They do it together every year, while my mom and I sit back with a glass of wine in front of the fireplace. I adore seeing my men together, enjoying each other’s company, and reflecting on one of my favorite traditions.
I also happen to really enjoy tasting the cookies. Thumbprints are still my favorite, although in recent years we have incorporated my husband’s Argentine heritage by adding home-made dulce de leche to the cookies. Delicious!
Do you have any small traditions that you love dearly?
Sincerely,
