The Magic

When I was growing up Christmas at my house was magical. My Mom liked to bake during the holidays and she was good at it. She would start with her own special kind of Fruit cake. It wasn't really Fruit cake but more like a candy, but then again what we call goolash isn't really goolash either.......it's all in the perception. She would then use her Mothers recipe to make a Pecan Log and then that special Divinity. After the candy was done , usually a few days , she would start making the Sugar Cookies......again my Grandma Smiths recipe ( the perfect name to bake things ). She usually made cookies that looked like a Christmas Tree, Santa, Snowman, Angel, a bell and a snowflake. When they were done she would Ice them will all different colors and put them in cans to give away. My Dad had his own little chores while she baked. He chopped the pecans for the pecan log, he chopped the Nilla Wafers and fruit for the fruit cake, he would help roll the pecan log and he would help shell more pecans. He also took it upon himself to test everthing to make sure it was just right. That was all prior to Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve Mom would start her Christmas dinner. Thomas Turkey, Cornbread dressing, fresh cranberry sauce, Spinich Mandaline, Greenbean Casserole, Candied Yams....( or one of at least a hundred sweet potato recipes that she experimented with), baked rolls, orange jello with cheese and pecans, and let me not forget the PINAPPLE MARSHMALLOW SALAD. She would generally try a few new recipes every year but these were the staples. And then she would start on the pies. She made her own fresh Pumpkin pies. she would use the left over pumpkin to fill about 5 ramkins for us to nibble on that night. She made custard, banana cream pies, pecan pies, and coconut cream pies. On Christmas day after all of the magic in the morning we would eat Monkey bread and then wait for all of the visitors. Our house would generally be full of people all day until dinner time around 5pm and we would all eat buffet style. It was such a happy time. We all thought that it would last forever. The funny thing is that even though the people change over the years the Magic stays. It's all about the giving and the kids. The magic is made by the kids. When I get up in the morning to see the magic in the faces of my kids it brings back the magic for me that was there on every Christmas Morning. Thanks to my parents for teaching me that. I can remember that for my parents it was all about us.
When I had my own children I finally understood.

Santa if your listening from up above....................Thanks for the magic.