I have been making Christmas cookies since…well, I don’t remember a time when I didn’t make Christmas cookies. It seems that Christmas cookies are a Sturm thing. I don’t recall them being prevalent at Ogilvie get-togethers. Pie always seemed to be the thing. (Chess pie mostly…I never could figure out who liked chess pie!) But on the Sturm side, everyone made cookies! Grandma Sturm even shipped cookies in our box of Christmas gifts. You just had to be careful to select the pecan Sandies and not the anise Wedding Cake balls. I’m pretty sure we all made that mistake at some point!
Eventually Christmas cookie baking officially started the day after Thanksgiving with gingerbread cookies. This was always an elaborate bakeoff, ending in Grace’s “Walmart wreath”, a cookie stacked two inches tall with icing, and my assembly line style. Oh – and either Katey or Jenny had to spill half the silver balls all over the place. Over the rest of the month, out came dozens and dozens of Sandies, surprise cookies, Spritz, fudge, peanut butter balls, coconut balls, white almond bark pretzels and lemon snowflakes. I do mean dozens.For it’s hard to make only one batch when three people want to make Spritz. And while in New Hampshire we had our pastor’s kids over to dip pretzels, so we had to make what felt like hundreds (plus a really good mess). Good thing we hosted a Christmas party every year! Now with us all gone, some of those cookies have fallen by the wayside. However, because Sandies, pretzels, and Spritz are three my mom still makes, I don’t make them. Even though I really should make Spritz. Emry at least can probably work the cookie press now.
As a single woman, I still made Christmas cookies…and took them to work. I certainly didn’t need them at home! Our first Christmas I attempted one of Ed’s favorites: clothespin cookies. I haven’t made them again…they take too long! Then came Emry and I thought she should be introduced to things like gingerbread cookies. I think that lasted all of two Christmases before I gave up. I hate to decorate. And I hate helping my kids decorate even more.
But I lovegingerbread. So, a few years ago I found the solution: gingerbread crinkle cookies. They’re easy to make. The kids can roll them into balls and into the sugar. And, this year, they became Ethan’s favorite. We also make one other things I didn’t grow up with: Reese cup cookies. The kids love making those. I love thumbprint cookies, but I never got around to it this year. (But since I bought the jam, I’m thinking of making them at Valentine’s.) I also like to try one new one every year. This year I tried two: homemade Samoas and an almond cookie. They were okay. The Samoas were a huge hit at Bible study, but I’m not sure I’ll recycle them.
I do know this, though: I need a bigger kitchen. As you can see, it’s a bit tight for four of us:
Emry, Ethan and Ellyson making Christmas cookies!
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