I have to admit that when I chose this topic, my editor and I had a good laugh. Why? Every year for the past few years, I’ve written a Christmas book. And as most of you know, books are written about eighteen months in advance, which means that for the past several years I’ve been writing about snow and sugar cookies, cocoa and evergreens, silver bells and candy canes IN JULY!!! lol

So when the real holiday approaches, it usually takes me by surprise. It’s one thing to write about baking cookies, quite another to actually have to bake them! Plus, I have a big family and we’ve got a tradition or two.

We start off with the Halloween Parade in the small town in which most of my family lives. Nieces and nephews dress up, trying to win prizes in the town’s parade. Last year they won the overall group prize for their “Flintstones” costumes, complete with Flintmobile that my brother Brian made using PVC pipe!

Then comes Thanksgiving. Most of us have lunch at home (our turkeys!) and we meet at my mom’s around four. Each family brings a salad or main dish AND a dessert. (Note the high ratio of desserts to actual food. LOL) Lots of us play poker. Some play darts in the family room. Everyone yaks at my poor mother! Picture eleven kids bringing home spouses and kids. That takes us close to fifty people right there. Add in nieces and nephews who have gotten married or bring girlfriends and boyfriends and that takes us over sixty. Add great grandchildren to that and we’re fast approaching the need to rent a hall for our family celebrations.

Before we go home Thanksgiving evening, we put all of our names in a hat and pick the name of one person to buy a gift for. With so many people, none of us could hope to be able to afford (let alone be able to remember all the names) to buy a gift for everyone. So we all choose one name and have a $25 limit. Some of us have shamelessly gone over that limit…but that’s another blog post.

The day after Thanksgiving is “cookie making party”. Every Black Friday, my mom invites her grandkids (and great grandkids and friends and whoever else wants to come) to her house to make iced sugar cookies for her “goodie tree” in the family room. We’ve discovered some real artistic talent in our kids…some of whom have even painted stain glass windows on the church cookies…and discovered that some of our kids should stay in school and never even give a passing thought to a career in art! LOL

It’s this tradition that found its way into THE MAGIC OF A FAMILY CHRISTMAS, along with my mom’s recipe for both the cookies and the icing.

The first of December we begin talking about “cookie exchange”. With so many people in our family, it’s easy to set up a cookie exchange. Everyone has to put her name on the list to participate. When everyone is signed up, each of us chooses a “type” of cookie to bake. (I usually bake the peanut butter blossom cookies — the ones with Hershey kisses…yum!) We make one dozen for everyone on the list — usually around 15 dozen, but when you’re making the same kind of cookie, that’s not too difficult.

On “exchange” day, we give a dozen cookies to everyone on the list and get a dozen cookies from everyone on the list. And if you don’t think this is fun, you’ve haven’t experienced getting twelve or fifteen different kinds of cookies like caramel cups or lady locks or mini cheese cakes (all of which I can’t bake myself!).

At this point, if you haven’t done your shopping, you’d better! I’m one of those people who leaves shopping for last (hoping for good deals) and cleaning for even later than that. But this year, my sister Janette has made me new silk drapes, and we’re reupholstering my dining room chairs. So cleaning has to start now! I’m not putting new drapes on dirty windows.

My son Spunky has been our decorator-in-chief for most of his life. Ever since he criticized my placement of lights on the front bushes and I said, “If you think you can do better, go ahead…” he’s been the one who puts up lights and strings tinsel. Because, by dingy, he could do better! LOL

All of that is great fun, but, for me, getting ready for the holidays is about more than cookies and gifts, lights and tinsel. I always find myself misty-eyed at the Halloween Parade, grateful for my gorgeous nieces and nephews and the wonderful sisters and nieces who care for them and make them such cute costumes.

That’s a great way to slide into the season. Being thankful for family easily segues us into the Thanksgiving weeks, where we all look around and simply feel joy and gratitude for what we have.

Christmas weeks, as we prepare to celebrate the most wonderful holiday of the year, buying gifts for family and friends is an opportunity to tell those we love that we’re glad they’re in our lives. Which is why I usually go over the $25 limit for my “family” gift. I actually give a lot of thought to my gifts. I want the recipients to know how much I care about them. And if that costs a few bucks…so be it. LOL!

Walking into a warm church on a cold Christmas morning is like getting hug from God. The scent of ham and kolbassi that fills the air when we get home reminds me of how lucky we are not just to have food but to have family to celebrate with. The presents…well, they’re just plain fun. And they remind me that sometimes life has to be about fun.

Sigh.

You know, sometimes when I contemplate the holidays, I think it’s too bad we can’t have these warm, wonderful feelings all year long.

susan meier
THE MAGIC OF A FAMILY CHRISTMAS, 11/09

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