Holiday Baking

The end of Daylight Savings Time always feels like the beginning of the holiday season to me, and not just because that's when the Christmas sales start. I know there are many out there who feel it does not actually start until the day after Thanksgiving, and if "holiday" is a euphemism for "Christmas" that sounds about right. While secular Christmas certainly takes center stage this time of year (whether we like it or not) there's actually a lot of stuff going on in the winter.

It starts with Halloween and the remembrance of ancestors and loved ones who have died. After that, there's All Saints Day, Reformation Sunday, Thanksgiving, St. Nicholas Day, Islamic New Year, Hanukkah, Yule, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year's, to name a few. And, if you observe religious Christmas, there's also the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and the four Sundays of Advent in December, plus Epiphany shortly into the New Year -  all good reasons gather together with friends. 

I enjoy the thought that there are so many opportunities to celebrate during the cold, dark hours of winter. So, from now until Epiphany (or maybe even Candlemas), I'll be featuring favorite holiday recipes, starting this weekend.

If you have a favorite recipe that you would like to share, please email me at MarysFoodJournal@gmail.com and let me know how you would like to be identified (ie "a reader in Ellicott City" vs your actual name).

Christmas Cats - 2009