My Favorite Christmas Carol

December 16, 2019Sarah

I am crazy for Christmas—the music, the cheesy movies, the decor, the festive foods. All of it! I am pretty sure the reason I love this season more than any other is because of my mom Carol, who always made the holidays so special for our family—and still does!

One of my favorite childhood memories is of my mom baking throughout the month of December to stockpile all the bars, holiday breads and pretty cookies we would indulge in during our family Christmas celebrations. I also remember how she’d use her baking to spread joy to so many others during the holiday season, packaging up elaborate treat trays that the rest of our family would help deliver to friends, family and neighbors in our small town.

A small sampling of some of the holiday treats ( Glazed Sugar Cookies) we made on my recent trip home to visit my parents. We had some help in the decorating department from my daughters Lucy and Charlotte.

During the holidays, my parents’ house is a busy little workshop with my mom baking more days than not. She also has her favorite elf, my dad, making deliveries to friends around town whose own families have come to love her home-baked treats.

My mom is still at it today, baking all of the seasonal goodies that our family has grown accustomed to through the years: Chocolate-Covered Cherry Bars, Shortbread Cookies, Lemon Bars, Nut Goodie Bars, French Crème Chocolate Bars, Glazed Sugar Cookies, Cherry Bread, Pumpkin Bread, Lemon Bread and so many more.

The list is long, but I am going to pick what I consider to be the “best of the best” treats from Carol’s holiday recipe box to share on the blog this week.

I visited my parents this past weekend to spend a little extra time with them in their cozy Christmas house and to bake some of my all-time favorites with my mom. I am thankful for this time which reminded me of the special role that certain foods and treats, and the act of making them (thanks Mom!), play in our most beloved childhood memories and family traditions.

I hope you, too, will have the opportunity to bake with your loved ones this holiday season!