A Taste of Christmas

Many traditions surround the Christmas holidays, but one that has particularly grabbed my attention this year is the tradition of baking.  Sure, we bake all year long –cakes, brownies, cookies – sometimes for special occasions and other times for no real reason at all.  But Christmas is different.

The bar in my kitchen has become another holiday decoration of sorts – and a tasty one at that – as it holds an array of seasonal delights during the month of December. Each tray, tin, bowl, plate, and basket holds special meaning.

 

 

The boys insist each year on purchasing holiday shaped pretzels from Sam’s Club. A ceramic winter bowl always holds our Cuties. A couple of plates arrive after Mike’s office party, where we have a reputation for working together to “steal” our favorite homemade goodies in a Sneaky Santa game. 

Some of the sweets that adorn the counter must be made by my own hands each year; my family insists! The fudge is a recipe I immediately adopted from my friend Stephanie after she delivered some to us one Christmas Eve morning. M&M cookies and peanut-butter chocolate chip cookies are standard.  The sugar cookies iced and decorated with Christmas sprinkles (by Zachary) were requested this year by Nicholas for their book club friends.

 

 

And M&M bars – ah! – those I have finally perfected after years and years of much difficulty in getting them to bake just right.  My mom passed along that recipe, and her ability to cook them to perfection encouraged me to keep trying until I finally figured it out, too. 
 

 

The most meaningful Christmas treats on the bar – and thus the ones I like the most! - are those which have been given to us.  Brandon was given sugar coated almonds and a loaf of gingerbread by some of the kids with which he works at church. A sweet T&T girl gave me a red snowman tin of cookies and mints.  Several Sunday school class members blessed us with tasty foods. And one precious, older neighbor brought a basket of goodies about ten minutes before another retired friend brought a dish of homemade zucchini parmesan, just in time for dinner!
 

As we bake, eat, and enjoy the tasty treats of the season, may they prompt us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good!” as Psalm 34:8a says.  We can taste His goodness for ourselves, just as we taste those delicious baked items, by seeking a relationship with the One who came to earth, the One whose birth we celebrate, the One who gave His very life for us – Jesus Christ.  This is what Christmas is all about, and those delicious homemade goodies made and given with much love are a sweet reminder of the blessings of our relationships with others and, most importantly, with our God and Savior.