So many more cookies to bake
By John Bach
Cookie night.
As far back as I can remember, our little family of five has spent one night a year turning the kitchen into a festive bakery that would make the Christmas elves proud.
Picture three giggling girls covered in flour, each of them decked out in Christmas chef hats with matching festive aprons while wielding their own kid-size rolling pins.
One such night in 2008 stands out in my memory. It was December 23, my last day of work before two weeks off for the holidays. Snow and ice struck just before the evening commute from downtown, and it took a full four hours to get home.
Normally during cookie night, we would all roll out the dough on the kitchen table and break out the cookie cutters to carve out our bite-size angels, snowmen and stars to bake and decorate with homemade icing. This night 13 Christmases ago, however, Julie held the kids off as long as she could, and eventually she had to start without me.
When I finally walked through the door, the Christmas music was blaring, the smell of warm cookies was in the air, and the girls were laughing hysterically with their mama. Thankfully I snapped a photo of that night that we framed, and it gets set out with all of our annual Christmas decorations.
Our Christmas cookie table in 2008
In my head, every cookie night since has stood in competition with that one. I’m not sure why we need to rank our memories this time of year, but it seems that we do. I suppose a quick “remember when” session helps stoke the magic that powers our traditions.
One by one, the girls outgrew their matching chef hats and aprons, yet cookie night continued because their mom would have nothing less. This year as we rolled out the dough once more, I think it occurred to all of us how special these traditions have become.
Our Christmas cookie table in 2021
This will be Greta’s last Christmas season living across the hall from her sisters. You can bet we’ll insist that she and Logan return for cookie night even after they’re married. Thankfully, despite having treatment on Friday, Julie felt well enough to step into her role as head elf on Saturday.
How could she not? There’s so many more memories to make — and cookies to bake.
