December 15
“Cookies at Christmas,” by Jessica Sell
One of my most favorite family traditions is making homemade cut out cookies and decorating them. It all started when my brother, Scott and my sister, Erica and I were small, with our parents, Kevin & Sandy. After a couple of years, we started to invite family and friends in to help with the fun. For the past several years the “cookie” day has taken place at my grandparent’s house, Keith & Carolyn Diss. We still invite family to join us. Over the years we have had Great-Grandmothers, Aunts and Uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews, close family friends, even a boyfriend or two.
While we all work hard to bake and decorate, we always find time for a little mischief. Someone (or more than one person) will usually wind up with a “flour” hand print on their backside or other strategically placed locations. Three years ago I found out how meaningful this day was to me. I could not get home from college in time to join in the fun. I was really disappointed and feeling pretty low. It was like I missed a big part of Christmas. I came to realize that although baking and decorating cookies is fun. It is the coming together of family and friends that make it a special day. Christmas is not about the gifts, and the lights and the shopping (I do enjoy all of these things),it is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ and spending time with those who you love.
Dear God, may we find time in this holy season to love, to give, and be surrounded by those who mean the most to us. May we slow down and let your glory fill our lives. Amen.
