A Taste Of Christmas

“And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭

Christmas is the “most wonderful time of the year…for several reasons!  We celebrate the greatest gift to mankind, the gift of God’s son, Jesus!  He is the gift of love, hope, and life eternal all wrapped up in the form of a tiny baby born in Bethlehem!

As we gather together to celebrate the birth of our Savior, our traditions may vary, but there is one thing that we all have in common as we share this time of year with family and friends: the food on the table!  I can’t imagine Christmas without hours spent in the kitchen lovingly preparing food for those I love!  In the South, food equals love!  Last week I spent sweet time preparing many of my Mother’s recipes for “goodies”, and as Christmas music played, memories that centered around food flooded my mind!   Hot Chocolate Bar  Fixings…dark and milk chocolate spoons, semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate morsels, crushed peppermint…
 …hand-crafted peppermint marshmallows…  …and sweetened whipped cream!  Our Nespresso Pixie Machine makes a great espresso!    Perfect for a cold Saturday!  An array of calories, but it is Christmas, right?  Cranberry and apple cider punch!  Who doesn’t love fudge – so decadent!  Ghiradelli peppermint bark…a guilty pleasure!  I love macarons and even took a cooking class to learn how to make them!  However, these are from Laduree, the famous Parisian pastry shop that opened in NYC!  Bliss overload!!    Cupcakes with buttercream frosting from Cothran’s, our excellent local bakery!    Still one of my all-time favorites…Orange Coconut Balls!  A tiered tray of divinity that is one of Butch’s favorites -and a favorite of mine, Martha Washington candy, made by my special friend, Kathy!  Christmas tree shortbread cookies!    My family’s favorite cake…Red Velvet!   Every Christmas my Mother made Fruit Cake, I mean fabulous fruit cake (no joking about hers)!  I continue the tradition using her recipe!

What about you, do you have favorite sweet treats that bring back Christmas memories?

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