The final touch

This past weekend my family and I took a trip to Montreal to visit my husband’s family. It was a short trip but it was nice to see the family. On the way home we were doing what we usually do; eating our sandwiches made from my mother in law, watching a movie, and we were talking about the weekend. The kids love to visit their cousins and we look forward to the trip.

It is a five hour journey and we are pretty accustomed to the roads, the service stations and the staying put, until we stop. Music is always a part of the journey. We scan the local stations and we listen to the tunes. Since we are in December it is only normal that Christmas songs are playing on almost all the stations. As we were driving the song “Jingle Bell Rock” came on. I put it louder for the kids to hear it so we can all sing along. The kids recognized the song because it was actually playing on the in-car movie Home Alone. So they enjoyed the tunes.

For me, that song brought back a lot more memories. I started thinking about Christmas when I was a kid. I remembered Christmas at my parent’s house, waiting and wondering what gifts Santa was going to bring me. I remembered all the feelings of excitement and anticipation for the morning to come. I remembered my “Alvin and The Chipmunks” album I played religiously every Christmas. There were many songs that I listened to and now that I am an adult I realized some of them were just very tasteless. “I saw mommy kissing Santa Clause.” What is up with that? How horrible for kids to think their mom was kissing goo old Saint Nick..lol..pervert. The line “don’t tell your dad that mommy was kissing Santa Clause last night.”..lol

This time of year brings back a lot of memories to adults. We think about our childhood and the traditions that came with it. The gifts we got that we really wanted, and the gifts we secretly opened wrapped again, and placed back under the tree. Last night I went to my parents’ house and all the stockings were hung on their mantel. There were the original 6 of our family and then the “add-ons” from over the years. I remembered when we got those stockings, so many years ago.

When you see things from your childhood it brings a nostalgic bittersweet feeling. You remember how wonderful it was, and at the same time you think how fast it past. I realized that I will never be at my parents’ house on Christmas morning waiting for my Santa gift ever again. My parents would anticipate our faces when we ripped open the gifts from our lists. Christmas morning was not about them; it was about seeing their children happy and excited. Our Christmas eves with all my aunts and uncles and cousins running around and playing with our new toys. The adults playing cards, drinking spiked egg nog and cracking nuts at the beautifully set table. Our mother or aunt spent all day preparing for this meal of Christmas dinner and presents for the kids. I remember when we would decorate the tree with the ornaments we had for over 20 years..lol..my mother would have Christmas songs playing in the background. It was hilarious because every year she would curse every Saint in the book while she was trying to wrap the garland neatly around the stair railing..she just wanted it perfect and I am glad that I remember that. The star on the tree was the best part and she always allowed us to place in on the top of the tree.

The time has come and we are now the adults at the table. We are now the ones sipping spiked egg nog, playing cards and cracking nuts. We are the ones that set the table and wrap all the gifts for the children. Time flies and we have no control over it. My Christmas holidays revolve around my children and how I can make it memorable and special for them. Memories are things that help us do something extraordinary for our own kids. They will remember the stockings we bought, the music that was playing while decorating the tree, and the shining star that will be carefully placed at the top of the tree as the final touch.
That’s my peace today!

These cookies are my kids favourite this time of year. We make a mess together rolling and cutting but we are also making special Christmas memories.

Christmas cut-out cookies
4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cups butter
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl sift baking powder and flour. In a seperate bowl beat butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Beat in egg and vanilla. Add flour and knead the dough. Divide in 4 and roll out on a floured surface. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Cut out into shapes and placed on lightly greased pan for about 10 minutes. You can add food colouring to the dough if you want the cookies coloured.