Traditions

A Stevens family Christmas tradition continued yesterday as we gathered to make Christmas cookies. You know the kind, roll out the dough, use a cookie cutter and bake. Flour flew, sprinkles spilled and MeMe beamed. The two children, three grandchildren and the first great-grandchild all came together to create edible masterpieces.

Caleb thought he was in charge, Brad was the oven watcher and Kayden cut out his first cookie, looking rather bored with the whole affair! I explained that this was his family and he was stuck with them. He giggled.

I don’t eat cooked cookies, so I ate cookie dough. Yum. Only thing better than raw sugar cookie dough is red velvet cake batter! However, at Christmas cookie time, you have to fight for your piece of the dough, as EVERYONE but Caleb likes it. MeMe usually doubles the recipe to have enough to cook.

Kayden and I iced two yellow stars before he got his hand in it and got it on both of us. Caleb iced a couple then he disappeared. Josh, the perfectionist, sat at the table carefully crafting Santas complete with belt, beard and shoes. Heather’s Santas were all red with a dash of white and dash of black. She said Josh’s Santas weren’t red enough, he stuck his tongue out at her. But Heather’s reindeers rocked. They were awesomely brown with shiny red noses.

Finally, all the cookies were iced and the kitchen clean. Pa, Brad, Heather and Josh were sleeping in a sugar induced coma and Kayden and I were communicating with sounds and giggles. The Christmas season has begun with another Stevens tradition complete. Every year, except one. There was one terrible, horrible, my-family-doesn’t-love-me-anymore year where MeMe couldn’t get anybody, not even Pa, to help her make cookies. She did them herself. Made them, cooked them, iced them, and ate them. Wouldn’t let us have any. Guilt, the Christmas present that keeps on giving.

Enjoy your traditions and Merry Christmas.

Stevie

Copyright 2009 Fort Worth, TX Stevie Stevens. For information contact faithleap@sbcglobal.net