Yet.
I have a couple of co-workers
who cheerfully sing and shout, “Christmas!” whenever a Christmas song is played
on the local radio station (which is shockingly often). They’re asking me what
level of Christmas attire they will be allowed to wear to work on Christmas Day.
(Christmas pants!?!) They are unapologetic and refuse to be ground under the
grumblings of the rest of us. They may be saving my life.
I don’t know what happened….well,
maybe I do. I’ve always loved Christmas. As a child, I couldn’t wait for the
season. I listened to my vinyl Christmas records as much as I could. I refused
to stop believing in Santa Claus. As an adult, I baked and made candies, made
homemade gifts and hand-decorated wrapping paper. I even still listened to
Christmas music voluntarily.
And then, somehow, Christmas
became a job. There were so many things to do. So many people to please. Food
gifts, which I loved to give, often fell into the, “I don’t like this,”
category, and didn’t seem worth fussing over. And then The Day Job became the
Christmas job, quite literally. I’m in management and am not supposed to be
part of the holiday rotation, but food service staffing is ridiculously sparse.
It appears that I will be working on Christmas again this year, which will be
three of the last four years. I also will have a difficult time getting enough days
off in a row to make the 300-mile trip to visit my family. My husband’s family
is three times further away, and we see them even less often.
There are also, of course,
people I miss at the holidays, but, while their absence is painful, the
memories are peaceful, funny, and warm.
I’ve never thought I’d need
to be Whoville-ed into checking my own special brand of cynicism, but I’ve been
exposed as a Grinch, or nearly so. My co-workers have put me in my place without
really intending to. They also have to work for the holidays. They also won’t
get to visit faraway family, or don’t have much family to visit. They’re
determined to enjoy themselves, however, and, by the end of last week, I was
feeling not a little shame.
And so I stocked up on my favorites…
**From the stores. There are a few store-bought treats that
are only available at this time of year, and their perceived rarity makes them
even more delicious. My husband has to have a box or two of dark chocolate covered
cherries with liquid centers. I particularly love white fudge dipped Oreo
cookies, white chocolate-peppermint covered pretzels, and minty M&M’s.
**Ideas. Many of my favorite
things at this time of year are ideas: crafts I don’t have time to make, new
dessert and cookie recipes I hope to try, old favorites I want to enjoy. For
example, I want to make a peppermint infused version of a basic white cake (like
this one I put berries in). I think it would be good with chocolate ganache on
top or a minty version of this Simple Butter Frosting.
I also have ideas for eggnog
butter cookies, cranberry pie, and big decadent cheesecakes.
**Old favorites. I’ve already
had a chance to make batches of some of my favorite cookies for Christmas, such
as Peanut Butter Cookies with Peanut Butter Cups, Milk Chocolate Chip and M&M Cookies, and Sugar Cookies. I also have ingredients on hand to make Mint Chocolate Cookies, Eggnog Muffins with Streusel Topping, Caramel Corn, peanut
brittle (I use the Better Homes and
Gardens recipe), and fudge.
Yes, I’m making my way through
this holiday season, trying to enjoy a new path to new traditions, starting with
a Friend-mas celebration this weekend. I’m doing my best to express my
appreciation to the co-workers who are helping me see the light. And seeing
light somewhere is really what we need to do. These literally dark days call
for as much celebration as we can manage. Sweet treats, family and friend
traditions, giving gifts and graciously receiving them, and decorating (my tree
is up and partially decorated!): these things help us get through the cold and
snow and ice and 4:00 pm sunsets. This power we have over the potential for our
environment to turn us into Grinch-y Scrooges is what makes us human. Enjoy the
season however you can!
One year ago: Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
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