Cookies for Santa

So I went to the garage to take my cookies out of the freezer to photograph them for this post. I thought I would be in and out of there in two minutes, so didn't wear my coat. Suffice to say, it was a stupid idea. In addition to the frigid garage, I was dipping in and out of the freezer and attempting to pry open stubborn Tupperware containers with fingers that were rapidly freezing and growing numb. Beating them against my leg to wake them up didn't do much. Aside of having my own To Build a Fire moment in the garage, surrounded by hockey equipment, I didn't accomplish much. The pictures I took were way too dark. You couldn't properly see the cookies at all, and though I am in no way a photographer, I at least know that seeing the subject is an important part. So, I went inside, put on my coat, warmed up and tried again.
Clustered around the milk glass are Brandy Balls and directly underneath them are Almond Bars. To the left in front are Peppermint Crackles and the Ginger Crackles are at the bottom.


Many holiday movies denounce the commercialism of the season and how much we've gotten out of hand with our spending and gifting. How the Grinch stole Christmas, A Charlie Brown Christmas and others try to remind the viewers of what Christmas is really all about. One of my favourite examples of this is Miracle on 34th Street. Little Susan Walker (Natalie Wood) has already been through her parents' divorce and deals with life in the best way she knows how to, as a miniature adult. With practicality, forthrightness and an enforced maturity that is heartbreaking in all children who are thrust into adulthood too soon, Susan has already dismissed the possibility of there being a Santa Claus. When the Macy's Department Store Santa turns out to be unsuitable, Macy's hires a man who turns out to be the real deal. He (Edmund Gwenn) sits in the store and listens to the requests of children, but instead of recommending Macy's products to their parents, he tells the parents where to go to get the best bargain. And it often isn't Macy's. This policy frustrates the owner of Macy's and eventually leads to Santa being put on trial.

And while this movie has its share of poignant moments, the real miracle is Susan's transformation and that of her mother, Doris (Maureen O'Hara), who has never believed in encouraging fairy tales or fantasy of any sort. Miracle on 34th Street is a classic and rightly so.

Leave out a plate of your favourite Christmas cookies for Santa. On my plate are the Ginger Crackles I've given a recipe for before. The Brandy Balls, Almond Bars and Peppermint Crackles recipes are in the post directly above this one. Enjoy them (and all Christmas cookies) with a glass of milk or eggnog.