I don't know about you, but I've been counting down to Thanksgiving break since week three of school. I love this holiday, and you probably do too. Around this time of year, most of us can't get turkey, stuffing, family or maybe even Christmas songs off our minds.
One great thing about Thanksgiving is that it brings up completely different memories from each person you ask. The only common denominator may just be the consumption of turkey.
The one tradition I always bring up is Christmas cookies. Yes, my family makes Christmas cookies every Thanksgiving. This may sound weird at first, but we go all out—making six batches, freezing most of them for December 25. Of course, a few have to be set aside for the college students to take back to hungry roommates.
But I don't just love eating cookies. As cliché as it is, I love this tradition for the time I spend with my family, and the unchanging dynamics that present themselves year after year.
We form a sort of haphazard assembly line that shifts depending on what's happening with the oven. First, my grandmother mixes and rolls out the dough, carefully using way too much flour with every new rolling. My older cousins and I start cutting the cookies. My secret is to make the biggest cookies I can, so there's a greater chance of getting one later, before they go into boxes on their way to someone else's house.
After the dough is sufficiently cut into holly, stockings, Santas and angel silhouettes, my mom and aunt take over frosting. They took these jobs originally to save their tiny children from burning themselves on just-out-of-the-oven cookies. Since the youngest is now 17, they grab their places only by habit.
Once we find the delicate balance between cooled cookies and fresh frosting, the decorating can begin. This is my favorite part. By now, all of the cookies are either in or just out of the oven, and everyone sits down in front of their own sheet of wax paper. Colored sugar flakes, sprinkles and specialty decorations line the middle of the table. We won't be done until the holly leaves have at least three different colors, the angels are blue and the stockings resemble Packer and Badger paraphernalia.
Later in the afternoon, I reluctantly help pack them into holiday-themed tins to be frozen for a few weeks. I grab a few to put in the tin I'll take back to school with me, and sneak another cookie when no one is looking.
Overall, I look forward to Christmas cookies every year almost as much as my Grandma's pumpkin pie. It's the special thing that sets my family apart from my friends, and I'm grateful for the familiarity when coming home.
Whether your tradition is grabbing the head of the table before your father does, eating more of your mother's sausage stuffing than turkey or watching the Packers win, I hope it serves as a much needed break from papers, tests and stress. Happy Thanksgiving.
Share your family traditions with Claire at crwiese@wisc.edu.
