Thank you to FCS Professionals member Mary Levinski for sharing her holiday traditions with us!
Ah – the holidays. I just love the Christmas season for so many reasons. I love to decorate my house, the Christmas lights just seem to bring about a feeling of tranquility and peace! It is really sad when they have to be taken down. I think the best part of Christmas is the baking. I just love to bake and have been baking since I was a kid.
Soon after I started teaching I had my students make different kinds of cookies (seven kitchens each making a different kind/day for one week) and then the day before break, we would have a party and the students could take the leftover cookies home to their families. There always seemed to be even enough for me to take some home too. After I left that job and moved closer to home – my mom was missing all the cookies that came from my students so she suggested I make and freeze a variety of cookies for the holidays. As it turned out, the list of cookies I made grew to include 28-30 different kinds. It was way too many for us to eat for sure – so we began making trays for friends, neighbors and those who didn’t have the means to make cookies. We donate about 25 trays of cookies each year. My mother is now gone and I wouldn’t have to do the cookies anymore but I do them in memory of her and her giving heart to help those around her. The joy of baking and sharing just makes the holidays so enjoyable.
Merry Christmas!
Mary