I am remembering the story my dad always told at Christmas time. He and his father and two brothers would go out to the barn on Christmas Eve and milk the herd of cows by hand, by the light of kerosene lanterns. While they were doing chores, my German grandma would set up the Christmas tree and decorate it all by herself. When grandpa and the boys came in from the barn, there the tree would be in all its splendour, alight with candles. I could always sense in my dad's voice the magic he felt, and imagine how wonderful it was to come in from the cold, dark barn and behold the tree. My grandma loved Christmas. She made special treats: eggnog with their own eggs and cream, Butter S cookies that used 16 eggs and a pound of butter! And a Cinnamon Ball Kuchen, made by dipping little balls of dough in melted butter, then rolling them in cinnamon, sugar and ground pecans. These were layered in a bundt pan with whole pecans tucked in here and there. I think she put some glacee cherries on top, and maybe a drizzle of frosting. You didn't cut it, but just pulled the little balls off and ate them. It was heavenly. Would I want to go back to those days? Probably not, though the simplicity and innocence of times past is very appealing. But it's important to remember where we have come from, and ponder where we are headed.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!
No comments:
Post a Comment