‘Tis the Season

‘Tis the season.  Ergo, time to make the cookies.  Nothing says Christmas like cookies, tons of cookies, feverishly baked as if you are in an endurance marathon of some sort where you will die if you don’t get them done in time.  You consult your carefully planned out calendar.  It’s Tuesday. That means it’s Snickerdoodle and Chocolate Chips day.

Truth be told, I am not much of a baker.  Too much precision is required.  Unlike cooking, which is far more forgiving.   A little too much oregano in your chicken scallopine isn’t going to ruin the dish.  Miscalculate your flour when baking? Fuhgeddaboudit.

And so, I hate that pressure.  I read and re-read and re-read the recipe out loud after each step like I am reciting the Bible.  Three cups of flour. Ok. Three cups.  Then I count out loud as I scoop each one.  One cup. Empty into bowl. Two cups. Empty into bowl. Three cups.  Empty into bowl.

I frantically double and triple check that it says baking POWDER not baking SODA.  Repeat that aloud like a mantra.  Baking POWDER.  POWDER.  How many teaspoons? Teaspoons not tablespoons? How many? Two? Is this the teaspoon? I didn’t accidentally pick up the ½ teaspoon? As you can imagine, the baking process is torture on my OCD. Checking and re-checking I have the right ingredients at the right amounts.

Now, this is not to say, that I don’t have fond memories of Christmas cookie baking growing up.  There was much fun baking them when I was kid with my mom and my siblings.  As we got older there would be times my siblings and I and our kids would get together and bake cookies all day.  A real cookie marathon.  I loved teaching my kids to bake the cookies and the fun we would have together. Such good times.  Such wonderful memories. 

My grandmother’s wedding gift to me was, wait for it, a Lenox cookie dish.  Only she called it a Pizzelle dish.  “Mary,” she said, “I had to get this for you.  It’s for your Pizzelles.”  For those of you that are Italian-American, you know that the Pizzelle is the piéce de resistance of the Christmas cookies.  No cookie dish is complete without it.  Married 38 years and that Lenox Pizzelle dish sits patiently in the sideboard for most of the year, until it takes its annual place of honor on the dining table.

However, as the years progressed and with the pressures of working a demanding full-time job and raising two kids, I found that I just didn’t have the time or energy to make the cookies any more. 

For awhile, there were some stop gaps.  It wasn’t stop making cookies cold turkey.

For instance, enter the cookie exchange.  What a great concept.  You and several of your friends and neighbors partook in a cookie exchange.  So instead of you having to making a gajillion type of cookies, each of you makes just one type of cookie, but you make like 40 dozen of it.  Then you each swap your cookies and you end up with all the types of cookies.  The amounts vary based on the number of people in your exchange.

But eventually, even that became too much for me.  The day came that I had to break the news to my friends and neighbors that I was dropping out of the cookie swap.  Everyone understood.

And then, lo and behold, like a Christmas miracle, a couple of my dear friends and neighbors who would still be baking, would gift me with a tray of cookies!  And so, the Lunghi household and the Lenox Pizzelle tray, did not go bereft of Christmas cookies.

Eventually though, they either moved away or also stopped baking.  And the day did arrive that the Lunghi household was Christmas Cookie-less.  It wasn’t pretty.  It wasn’t fun.  Store bought Pizzelles? Ugh. Not the same.

Fast forward to today.  Empty Nesters and Retirees that we are.  This Christmas we will be having a full nest. Both kids will be home.  The kid who is married and has a new baby will be here.  Even though the baby is only 3 months old and will never recollect this or even be able to eat these cookies, it seems like a good time to resurrect the baking.

I decided the best approach was to ease into it.  I would limit the number of types of cookies to just one of everybody’s favorite.  There are 5 of us.  So 5 types of cookies.  Easy peasy.

I sent out the APB on our Nuclear Unit Plus One text thread.  Pre son-in-law, there was a Nuclear Unit text thread (still is when we want to spare him some of the misery).  Tell me your favorite cookie and I will make it I announce with glee.

Amy was first to respond. Pizzelles. I raised her well.

Jake was next with Chocolate Chip.

Ernie didn’t have to reply because I knew his.  38 years of marriage. If you don’t know your spouse’s favorite Christmas Cookie after 38 years of marriage then I must question the strength of your marital bond.  His was Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.

I had yet to hear from Joey though.  So I called him.

Me: Hey Joey.  What cookie you want?

Joey:  Well, that depends.  What did everyone else say?

Me: Amy picked Pizzelles. Jake picked Chocolate Chips.  Dad’s got Oatmeal Chocolate Chip.

Joey:  Amy and Jake did not optimize their picks.  My goal is to optimize my cookie pick where I can end up with most of my favorites.  Versus picking a favorite that is everyone else’s favorite too.  Now Dad went niche.  Oatmeal Chocolate Chip? He’s the only one that likes those.  He’s playing it well.  What cookie are you picking?

Me: Russian Tea Cookie.

Joey: Oh, see.  You are going niche too. You get that one plus your Chocolate Chips and Pizzelles. Ok, well, I will go with Snickerdoodles.  But yaknow, I know a lot of people like the Snickerdoodle.  Was hoping someone else would have used that for their pick, so that I could get the Snickerdoodle plus the Sugar Cookie.  But you and Dad went niche.  So, looks like I will be taking one for the team.  Me, Jake, and Amy. 

Who knew that picking your favorite cookie could be such a meta exercise?

And so, the year 2024, the return of Christmas Cookie baking in the Lunghi household.  And the Lenox Pizzelle dish.  Like a hug from heaven.