The countdown to Christmas is reaching fever pitch in many households, including our own. It seems like it was only a few short weeks ago that we were trying to figure out Halloween costumes, and yet here we are just a few short days away from Christmas.
Many families have holiday traditions they like to enjoy each year. For me, the Christmas season is not complete until we have baked sugar cookies and decorated them with vanilla frosting turned into a rainbow of colors in countless small dishes.
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One year we deviated from traditional sugar cookies in favor of molasses ones. I admit, I was not totally on board with that decision, but in the end my wife was correct — as she usually is. It turns out molasses cookies covered in frosting taste just as good as sugar ones. In fact, just about any type of cookie tastes better with frosting.
Every year, the cookie frosting turns out the same. Our children always start out eager and ready to tackle a pile of cookies shaped like snowmen and Christmas trees and reindeer. But usually, somewhere after their sixth cookie, they start to lose interest. Or maybe it’s because they start getting a sick belly from licking all the frosting off their fingers or eating the “mistakes” when a cookie breaks.
Another tradition we like to enjoy is gathering together to watch one of the many, many holiday movies we have purchased over the years. And if there is something we don’t own, we can always fire up Netflix to see if it is available there.
I admit it. I’m a sucker for holiday movies and shows, particularly those involving the stop-motion animation technique made popular by Rankin and Bass in the 1970s. Growing up, I scanned the television guide on a weekly basis, looking to see when the specials were to air. There was something magical about the fact that “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was only on once during the holidays as it gave children one more thing to count down toward.
There is something special about curling up on your couch with a bowl of popcorn to watch a holiday special. Some of the magic isn’t quite the same today, though, as it was say 30 years ago. There were no BluRay/DVD/VHS copies or online streaming services to watch something over and over whenever you wanted. When the show aired, you watched it. If you missed it, you were out of luck for the year, because they only aired once. And you can be sure your friends let you know about it the next day at school.
“The Muppets Christmas Carol,” “Elf,” and all three of the Tim Allen “Santa Clause” movies are now among our favorite holiday fare each and every year — sometimes more than once.
I hope that you all can take a moment this holiday to pause and reflect on those things that are important in your lives. The staff wish all of our readers a very Merry Christmas.
Our newspaper offices will be closing at noon Monday, Dec. 24, and will reopen on Wednesday, Dec. 26. The paper will be out on Wednesday, Dec. 26 at its usual time.