Yuletide and Christmas Cookies

My first package in awhile came to Zhanatas this week.  It was from my grandma, full of little Christmas trinkets, but most importantly of all, it had the necessary ingredients to make my grandma’s specialty Peanut Butter Balls (my favorite of the Christmas cookies we make every year).

I wouldn’t say that our family is the most traditional.  We have a lot of traditions when it comes Christmas though- like hanging a wreath taller than I am on the chimney, putting up the miniature Christmas village, and of course baking Christmas cookies.

It seems like every year for as long as I can remember my sisters and I have attempted to make some sort of ‘decoration-required’ cookie- gingerbread men, sugar cookies- whatever, and they’re never very artistic.   That’s part of the plan really (though it’s quite unlikely we’d admit it), we love squinting at each other’s ugly cookies and trying to discern if it’s a santa hat wearing a polar bear, or a christmas tree with really big teeth.

But this year, in Kazakhstan, I made my Grandmother’s peanut butter balls.  When, over Skype, my grandma asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told her I just wanted to be able to make her cookies in Kazakhstan.  I remember her voice, all-knowing and sure-footed:  ”Laura, you know, you have to dip each little ball into chocolate.”  She was my first babysitter, she knows me pretty well.  This sort of project just didn’t sound very ‘Laura’ to her.

Anyhow, today I made those famous cookies.  And I was amazed at myself.  One after the other, I rolled over eighty cookies in the chocolate, lofted them carefully from the stainless bowl, and gingerly lowered them onto sheets of newsprint.

It seems one thing I’ve learned in a year+ of Kazakhstan has been  patience.

This time of year I miss my family.   So all of you at home, or not too far from home, spend some time with your families.  Because I’m telling you, no matter how cliché it is, that there will never be people in your life more important or more wonderful than your family.

Merry Christmas.

I love you guys.