As far back as I can remember, a major Christmas tradition in our home was making cookies together as a family. My father was the main cookie baker. My brother and sister and I all had jobs. Mine was to watch the oven so the cookies didn’t burn. My sister was in charge of counting how many cookies we had of each shape and recording the numbers on a chalkboard in the kitchen. The cookies were then put on plates and given to neighbors and friends.
I had only been married a few years when my father died. Armed with the cookie cutters and recipes, my husband and I continued the custom in our home. Both of our children had their own special cookie jobs each year whether it was watching the oven, setting the timer or decorating the cookies. As our children have grown, we have continued my parents’ custom of making cookies as a family and taking them to neighbors and friends.
This message by Nancy Hartfiel, Spirit of Joy Lutheran, Sequin, Texas, is an excerpt of “Traditions worth waiting for” in the December 2016 issue of Gather magazine.
Do you enjoy these free Daily Grace messages? If so, donate now to further the ministry.