“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but
people will never forget how you made them feel.”
— Maya Angelou
If you follow my columns or know me personally, you are aware of how I feel about my mother. She was a very special woman and I was truly blessed to be raised in a close-knit family that was lighted by the sunshine of loving parents.
My mother and father knew the true meaning of Christmas and always sacrificed to make everyone in our family feel loved and special. Their efforts took hold with all of us and we don’t miss an opportunity to shower our father with the sunshine my mother provided.
Recently, when I was decorating our home, thoughts of past Christmases slowed me down with pleasant memories. I spent the day pulling out our robust collection of lights and decorations and turning our home into a winter wonderland. After overdoing it by making every room twinkle and adorning three trees, I was less than enthusiastic about decorating our staircase.
For a brief moment, I thought about putting away the garland and calling it a day. I then remembered how every year my mother would come to our house and magically transform my staircase with garland and sparkle.
This trip down memory lane took me back to my childhood, when we would hang lights, place our collection of ornaments on our tree and fill our home with jolly and joyous energy. I could see her in our kitchen whipping up a Christmas cake and topping it with lattice sugar cookie dough. I remembered the little white tree with pink lights she placed in my room and how special it made me feel to see them twinkle.
Wow! I sat there thinking about holiday memories and realized that I needed to decorate the staircase. As I wrapped the garland, I thought about how as a child I never really appreciated the amount of work my parents did to create magical moments. I looked around my house and knew my late mother would be happy that when my father comes over on Christmas Day, he will see that I took the time to decorate the staircase and fill my home with the real magic of the season: Gratitude and love, just like they taught us.
Take time to enjoy your families and make memories this holiday season.
Merry Christmas!
Here is a favorite decadent chocolate cookie recipe that will make your home smell heavenly as
it bakes!
Double Chocolate, Espresso, Macadamia Nut Cookies
Ingredients:
1/3 cup special dark unsweetened cocoa powder (you can use regular)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter (softened)
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 large egg, room temperature
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
3/4 cup espresso chips
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (cocoa, baking soda, salt, flour). Set
aside.
In mixing bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and both sugars. Mix in egg and vanilla;
mix until smooth.
Add dry ingredients to mixing bowl and mix until blended. Mix in chocolate chips, espresso chips and macadamia nuts.
Scoop 2 tablespoon-size balls of dough onto cookie sheets, 3 inches apart.
Bake 9-12 minutes. It’s best to bake on the slightly underdone side.
Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan.
Store in an airtight container or freeze for up to 3 months.
