Ready, Set, Decorate!

A dusting of sugar and sprinkles turns time in the kitchen with my mom and sister into sweet Christmas memories.

Baking Christmas cookies with my mom, Dottie, and my sister, Robin, is always a day filled with laughter, fun, memories of Christmas and lots of eggnog.

When we started our baking day tradition back in 1993, it was at my house. I was so excited to have Mom and Robin come over to make cookies. We baked all day, frosted all night and must have had at least six different kinds of cookies going at once: chocolate chip, Russian tea cakes, peanut butter, coconut macaroons, gingersnaps, straw- berry thumbprints and, of course, the classic sugar cookie cutouts.

Robin and I had just started our families, and Mom was never one for the kitchen. So we really didn’t know what we were doing. By the end of the day, we were exhausted and the kitchen was a disaster.

Over the years we’ve refined our skills, and we’re a little more organized. It’s a lot of work, but Mom, Robin and I always have fun.

When our kids were little they helped us with the frosting, and maybe the cookies didn’t always look bakery-perfect but they got eaten just the same. Older now, the kids come and go, but they still look for their favorites at the end of the day. I’d love to see them carry on this tradition. Until then I’m happy to bake for them.

Looking back on the past 24 years I realize that those cookies are a lot like life. Sometimes they turn out great, but sometimes the cookies are a little burnt and rough around the edges.

It’s not really the cookies that make the season special. It’s the people we bake with and for who make it all worthwhile.