A reflection on holiday traditions.

Christmas 1986. Homemade chocolate chip, shortbread, sugar and almond crescent cookies. Andes mints. Cordial cherries. Real Christmas tree. The Temptations version of “Silent Night” and Donnie Hathaway’s version of “This Christmas.”  Multiple screenings of “A Charlie Brown Christmas. Mom. Dad. Dogs. Santa.

Christmas 2016. Homemade gingerbread, and chocolate chip and sugar cookies. Eggnog. Mulled wine. Red Wine. White wine. Real Christmas tree. Mariah Carey’s version of “All I Want for Christmas is You” and Donnie Hathaway’s  “This Christmas.” Multiple screenings of “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Husband. Baby. Santa. Me.

It’s funny how some holiday traditions never change, or cannot change, as I get older. As a kid, I treasured baking Christmas cookies with my mom at home in Chicago over an early December weekend. We would crank up the soulful holiday jams and talk and lick bowls and snack on cookies and talk about how to strategize our holiday shopping. Now, I bake cookies for my New York friends while my own daughter looks on (or rather, sleeps until the next feeding, which these days is every few hours!) I still watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas” once every few days between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I love Peanuts and the gang so much I know all of the words to the show, and I expect my daughter will do the same.

Now that I’m of legal drinking age, E usually throws down on the holiday beverages, and with the shortage on eggnog this holiday season, we’ll be making another batch of our own to sip on with friends over the weekend.  Meanwhile I baked off one batch of gingerbread while I was nursing/ shopping/ wrapping presents/cleaning house, topped with homemade whipped cream (because there’s a shortage of that, too—dang, these holidays are under siege!) and a dusting of cinnamon and powdered sugar. This recipe from Epicurious was an easy one to make with all of the ingredients in my home already.  It also saved me a bit of loot to spend on more holiday gifts for baby Q.

Speaking of gifts, taking all recommendations for 6 weeks old baby gifts. Go!

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