Every Christmas since I was a little kid, my Mom would assign my sister and I to create an idea of what kind of cookies we could make for Christmas. Whether it be the heat miser or a simple Christmas tree, we would make over ten different kinds of cookies that related to the theme of Christmas. However, the most popular and liked cookie in my family is the Pizzelle. For hours at a time, I will sit at the counter constasntly opening and closing the Pizzelle maker until we reach around 200 cookies!! This tradition has always appealed to me because I have been doing it for almost my whole life. Coming from Delaware, it’s very cold during the winter time, averaging almost 27 degrees in the season, and we only experience a few snow storms a year. Since we’re stuck inside, my family uses this tradition as an opportunity to get closer and become more creative. We would always start at the beginning of December and present them to cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. Something about this tradition that I would still like to learn is how it originated and if it’s popular around the world. I’ve always heard about my friends doing some kind of Christmas bakery but is it a practiced tradition across the world?

In an article by Culturally Ours, they say that whether it be a simple sugar cookie or atypical cookies, it is something that everyone looks forward to in the holiday season. The article states that “Since it was cold outside and the ground was hard and frozen solid, farming was not an option. So cookies were made in large amounts and stored as a way to share the sprit of the season with all those who visited. ” Likewise, in a a video by Western Mass News, they describe Christmas cookies as something that is very personal. Every family has their own unique recipe and ideas that carries on from generation to generation.

One blog that I found intruiging is one done by Stephanie Thompson who is from the United States. What drew me to this blog was not only the tone and images but it is also created on WordPress which is what we’re using for our blogs as well. Thompson uses a variety of pictures such as a gingerbread man, cookies cutters, sprinkles, etc. Something that also intrguied me was the mentioning of mumming. I’d never heard of mumming before reading this blog so it was definitely very interesting to learn about how it connected to Christmas cookies. This tradition will be easy to format into a blog because it is seen all over the world and almost every person that practices it has some kind of unique idea attached to it. I’m looking forward to learning more about this tradition!

 

Michael Acierno