Happy Holiday Blues

There is holiday tune that has the line “I wish it could be this time of year all year long.” When I first heard that a screaming voice in my head yelled, “HELL NO.” So Happy holiday season! Is anyone else not feeling the joy and blessing of this time of year? I’m always so excited to celebrate, deck my home, bake my cookies and daze off in the twinkle of white lights. This year I feel like I’m missing the holiday spirit and I don’t know why. It could possibly be the fact that global warming is making for some manic weather here in Chicago, and of course each different weather mood consists of no snow. Or maybe just walking out my door and into the streets has me swarmed with over crowded everything, shops, buses, restaurants. It makes me want to hide away.

I had a realization during Thanksgiving, while cooking, and baking and bustling about, I was thinking, why, why do all of this for just one day? And then I started to prep my Bompa’s Cranberry Pie, a recipe so near and dear to my heart I make sure there is extra so I can eat it for post holiday breakfasts for the days to come. Every time I look at the recipe I think of Bompa and the wonderful memories I have of our time together. This is the greatest part of celebrating the holidays with friends and family, we never really remember the pain in our bellies from being filled to the max, or the taste of the meal months later. What we remember is the time in the kitchen learning mom’s tricks to making the moistest turkey or the conversations and laughs around the dinner table. All of my memories of these days are so vivid and so diverse and I need to remember those faces and stories when I’m stressed with kitchen duties, grocery lines and hours of preparation.

So that is my motivation for this time of year, making new memories and keeping with old traditions. The newest tradition that has been in place for the past four years is my annual cookie exchange. What started as a simple bring cookies to exchange party has turned into a battle of baking giants as well as a side splitting white elephant gift exchange and this year was one of the best. Yes while I exhaustively prepped food for days the laughter and newest baking creations made every moment of preparation worth it.

If you are like me and you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed and fearful that the holidays are losing their true meaning, in your moment of stress close your eyes and remember one holiday memory. Then take a deep breath and keep going and if all else fails there are only about 17 days left!

 

The 2012 winner of the Pooping Reindeer Trophy and Best Cookie was Scott Randel for his Peppermint Oreo Balls