Today is Blissemas on my blog. I’m taking part in this fun event. Also be sure to comment at the end of my blog for a chance to be entered into the Blissemas drawing for a Kindle!
As I was preparing for the holidays my thoughts turned to Christmas when I was 9 years old. Growing up there wasn’t much money for gifts for the holiday. My mother used to sew and bake all the gifts for our family and friends. My siblings and me would enjoy watching her as she made garment after garment. The scent of baking on the air.
When I was 9 years old I decided I wanted to give my siblings and parents gifts for Christmas. I didn’t have any money and couldn’t ask my parents so I did as I watched my mom do for years. I decided to bake for my family as a gift for them. It would be my first time baking something on my own. I’ve helped my mother in the past but never by myself. My baked good of choice was to make sugar cookies. Since it was a gift for everyone I didn’t want any help as I made the batter. I told everyone to please let me have the kitchen. They all agreed and went into the living room to wait for me. There were no walls so my mother could keep an eye on me to make sure I didn’t get carried away. I painstakingly read the directions and started to make it. In between I ran to my mom and asked her if I didn’t understand what something meant. Since I watched her bake and helped for years I didn’t need much guidance. I was so proud when I finished my batter for the cookies. I greased and floured the pan then started to pour my cookies spaced apart. My mom helped me put them in the oven and I anxiously waited for them to be finished.
When they were I eagerly waited as my mother pulled them out for me. Then she showed them to me. Instead of the individual cookies I had made it had all slid together into one big cookie. I don’t know if you caught the ‘pour” above. Yes my batter was too thin and that is why my cookies became one big one. My mother praised me and said it was the most beautiful sugar cookie cake she had ever seen. It made me smile. We called in the family to the kitchen, set my sugar cookie cake in the center of the table and my mother got us all some milk. She then cut that sugar cookie cake and we ate it. It was delicious and all my family said so.
My first sugar cookie cake is a fond Christmas memory. Even today when I bake I smile when I think of my first experience in baking. I’ve gotten much better at baking since that long ago day when I was 9 years old but you know sometimes I deliberately make the batter a little too thin and make a sugar cookie cake. When it’s ready I sit and cut a piece and have a glass of milk and enjoy it along with my memory of the first. And today it is just as good as it was from back then. 
Come and share with me some of your holiday memories. Remember your comments here will give you an entry in the BLISSEMAS drawing for the grand prize: a kindle. This drawing will take place at the end of Blissemas.
Happy Holidays! I wish you lots of great memories of past, present and future holidays seasons.
[...] Talia Carmichael is sharing one of her treasured Christmas memories with us today and it sounds delicious! Pop over and read her lovely blog then add your own comment to be in with a chance to win a kindle! [...]
Aw, this made me cry! You should post the recipe!
What a great story, Talia!
I’m not much of a baker, but I sometimes make oatmeal cookies for Xmas gifts. I have the same sort of problem – the cookies tend to run together into ugly blogs. They sure do taste good, though!
[...] Talia Carmichael takes the reigns with a Christmas memory that is dear to her heart. Check it out and add your own [...]
This was a really sweet story. Thanks for sharing. As always, it’s the thought that counts.
My favorite Christmas memory is when I was 8 years old… and I wasn’t sick! LOL As a kid, I was for each and every Christmas.
Not only was I well, I as able to go sledding after dinner, too!
Thanks,
Tracey D
booklover0226 at gmail dot com
Every Christmas is a special one for me because I get to spend it with my family so I have lots of fond memories.
But I think that one of my fondest was last year when my nephews managed to find me a hand painted nest of russian dolls featuring characters from Star Trek. I am a great fan of ST so this was wonderful.
I’m surprised there hasn’t been any festive food disaster stories. I’ve had dozens.
My first was when I was at college. I had an evening job in a rather posh local restaurant. One evening I served a table of six local dignitaries who had just been involved in the turning on the Christmas lights ceremony. They were very annoying and tried picking holes in everything but I managed to keep them relatively happy, which impressed my boss, and they finished their meal with six Irish coffees to which I added two spoonfuls of sugar to each.
When they called me back and asked me to taste one I knew I’d done something wrong but it wasn’t until I took a hesitant sip that I realised that I’d added two spoonfuls of salt to each glass.
Aww. Such a sweet story. Thank you for sharing it with us. I have so many fond memories of Christmas. One of my favorite is when my lil cousin (he was about three at the time) snuck under the christmas tree and opened everyones presents. It was so cute! He was also in his mine phase and didnt want to give the presents back. lol Thank you!
shadowluvs2read(at)gmail(dot)com
I think baking for your family is such a wonderful and thoughtful gift. I also think presents that are handmade are so meaningful. I simply love being with my family during the holidays, whether we are watching movies indoors or going sledding in the snow.
You have a great mama!! My grandpa loved to cook and bake. One year, I wanted to make Roulettes (I think that is what they are called). It was a challenege but we did it and they were delish!
Each year when I was growing up, we made homemade gifts also. It was a pain in the butt and my mom usually ended up completing them last minute.
books4me67 at ymail dot com
We love baking and there were many years of staying up til midnight baking and chatting just us girls. Wonderful times.
joderjo402 AT gmail DOT com
i think my favorite childhood memory is what we call the year we ate the tree.
my parents had just divorced and with 6 kids on a waitress wages there wasn’t alot of money for christmas so my mom went to the grocery store with her food stamps and bought candy canes and iced molasses/sugar cookies and then she got out her yarn and we hung them all over the tree. of course we had a few regular decorations that we heirlooms and the lights but mostly the tree was edible that year. by the time christmas came there was not one cookie or candy cane left on the tree. my mom hates the memory of that year but all six of us kids think is was the best christmas we had. not just because of the tree but because we pulled together as a family to make it a special time for all of us.
i hope you and your family have a very Happy Holiday Season.
trvlagnt1t@yahoo.com
Definately share how you thin the batter to make sugar cookie cake Talia, that does sound tasty.
My fondest Christmas memory is the year I got my boyfriend a Yorkshire Terrier puppy for his birthday/Christmas present. His birthday was Dec 21, so I didn’t have to hide the dog, we went & got it together. It sure was fun watching the dog play in all the wrapping paper from the other gifts. Lady dog has passed on & the boyfriend ended up married to someone else, but it is still one memory that I cherish.
drainbamaged.gyzmo at gmail.com
Oh! That was so sweet.
I always like xmas eve. I have 7 brothers and sisters and when we were younger we would all get new pj’s to wear that night and have family pictures taken in them. Then we would hang our stokings and watch whatever xmas special was on.
MERRY CHRISTMAS
-Chris-
There’s always the roast potato incident. When we were little my Nanna cooked roast potatoes on Saturday close to Christmas day and they were burnt (well, very well done) and my sister said to Nanna that she mustn’t burn the spuds on Christmas day.
Guess what? Yep, my sister got a well done potato on Christmas day! We still have a photo of us all with my sister holding this potato on the end of her fork accusingly!
Never had a Christmas until I was adopted at 14. I got my first present and it was socks and I have always given my kids socks for Christmas. LOL It was a wonderful Christmas.
Great Christmas memories. Thank you for sharing them with us. I loved your excerpt! Another great read to add to my Christmas list! Thanks!
Such a sweet post! I’m kinda new to celebrating X’mas. My fondest memory is having a litter of puppies that were at their cutest and naughtiest at X’mas last year! It snowed last year, and it was wonderful watching them all playing with the white stuff! Got them to wear a little Santa hat, too!
I guess I have started a tradition that involves my father in-law. One year I made peanut brittle for him as I had heard him say that was his favorite candy. Well the next year I didn’t make candy and on Christmas day he asked where his candy was. I had no idea he liked it so much. So every year since then I have made him his peanut brittle without fail.
Such a sweet story. I always loved watching my kids rush at the presents. Seeing there faces light up. We’ve had so many wonderful christmases and memoies.
Thank you!
tonyapeterson35(at)yahoo(dot)com