When I think about Christmas in the 70s, I still feel that exciting, child-like anticipation in my heart. There was a cheerful frenzy that hung in the cold Ohio air as we prepared for the big day in our cozy kitchen making Christmas cookies.

In the weeks before the holidays, my mom would be up to her arms in flour. There was lots to do! There were ingredients to buy, nuts to be ground, and icing to be made. Our kitchen table and counter needed to be clear to make way for measuring cups, mixing bowls, and her old wooden rolling pin which she used for each and every recipe. She baked so many Christmas cookies that our house had a constant smell of vanilla and cinnamon the whole month of December.

I can still picture mom, wearing an apron, ready to tackle the directions on her handwritten, ingredient stained recipe cards. Her line-up included caramel cups, baklava, chocolate crinkles, cinnamon twists, mini cheesecakes, and even hard tack candy. She let me and my 4 siblings dig in to help with our favorite, sugar cookies. Looking back, I absolutely appreciate her patience. Ten hands, icing, sprinkles, rolling out sections of the sticky, sweet dough while using our favorite red plastic Christmas cookie cutters. It made for a delightfully messy afternoon.

The cookies my brother and sisters helped create certainly weren’t professional-looking, but when company stopped by, our sloppy, sugar-coated masterpieces always adorned her platter. I always felt so proud of our final presentation. She and my dad made every holiday feel special just like those not so perfect cookies she served in our dining room to important holiday visitors.

Today is December 24, so whoever and however you are spending these next two days, keep those small moments of icing and sprinkling cookies with you and I bet it will keep you warm and cozy over the winter season. MERRY CHRISTMAS and WARM WISHES, my friends!