A fun Christmas cookie tradition
Every family has their holiday traditions. One of my family’s was baking Christmas cookies – LOTS of them! Every Christmas season, my mom would start her Christmas baking in late October or early November, then start filling the freezer. We had a stand-up freezer exclusively for the Christmas baking! So I, of course, had to get one when I moved out on my own too, so I could carry on the tradition! We usually ended up with between 20 & 40 different types of cookies, candy & quick breads. My dad had quite the sweet tooth, but even he couldn’t eat that many! So, the week before Christmas we would pull everything out of the freezer & make cookie trays to give away. People even returned the containers after Christmas, hoping for a refill the next year!
My freezer full of Christmas baking!
Time to start packing the cookie boxes.
One of my favorite memories is helping my mom bake when I was little. Then when I moved away from home, we would split up the baking, then combine it all to make up the trays. When I first moved out of the house, my mom still baked the most, then as she got older, I started baking more & more. But she still managed to bake a few batches right into her 90’s! I think her favorite part though, was giving them away.
I now bake exclusively gluten free. However, even my family & friends that are not gluten free, say they often cannot tell the difference. People even start contacting me in the fall to make sure I will be making their favorite cookies or they send me a recipe & ask if I can make it GF!
I have lived in the Midwest, on the West Coast & now the East Coast, so instead of hand delivering all of the cookie trays, I mail some of them! Everyone always seems pretty excited to get their “cookie boxes”. I even have some friends that ask me to let them know when I mail them, so they can snag the box & pick out their favorites before their kids (or husbands) get their hands on them!
Cookie boxes packed & ready be boxed for shipping!
Ready to ship!
For the families that I give cookies to that have someone with a nut allergy, I separate the cookies into 2 containers, if I’m mailing, or 2 plates if I’m delivering them, & label them … “NUTS” or “No Nuts”.
And of course, I always have a big plate of cookies for Christmas Eve & Christmas Day – whether it’s at my house, or another family member’s house. Actually, pretty much every get together (Christmas, Hanukkah or Holiday) I am invited to in December, I am asked to bring cookies. It’s been such a fun tradition & now it’s even better for those that are gluten free!
Cookie plate ready for Christmas Eve!