December 12

Psalms 119:103

With all the “favorite” things, I zeroed in on Christmas treats as my very favorite things.

My grandmother, who was born in Germany treated us all with my very favorite cookies, pfeffernüsse (translated “peppernuts”.) They are a simple anise flavored sugar cookie cut prior to baking into tiny squares to resemble nuts.

In early days, pretzels and potato chips came in large tins and sold in large quantities. Grandmother prevailed upon a merchant to give her at least two of these large tins, which she filled with pfeffernüsse. She made small cloth bags, which she embroidered with initials of each child. She filled the bag with pfeffernüsse and hung them on the Christmas tree. Not only were they delicious, but we could have as much as we wanted without limitation.

The second “favorite thing” was served as dessert for Christmas dinner. Plum pudding with hard sauce. We only knew “hard sauce” as butter and powdered sugar in about equal amounts on the warm plum budding. No Christmas dinner was complete without it. Though we may have to wait a while to make room for desert. My uncle Valdemar at 6 feet and skinny as a rail always announced, “I have to loosen my belt.”

You know the sentiment!

~ Laura Holland

Prayer

Father of our Jesus Christ and Our Father, there is a hymn whose lyrics include “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, sweetest name I know.” As we contemplate infant Jesus lying in a manger, we are reminded of the sweetness of babies. Our homes are filled with sweet treats as we celebrate Jesus’ birth. Accept our thanks with praise for Your best gift to us, Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.