Christmas Treat Traditions: Day Two

I am taking a trip back through time to remember Christmases past by highlighting the various holiday goodies my family has enjoyed over the years.

Back in the Eighties, when I was in elementary school, my mother always made no bake cookies for my school bake sales; they sold for 25 cents a piece and were always the first thing to sell out. Good job, Mom! But, really, who doesn’t love a no bake? I’m sure people like this exist but not in my family. We all loved no bakes. And while Mom would make them occasionally throughout the year, they were an absolute staple during the holidays.

Whenever I would walk into the kitchen and see newspapers spread out on the table, and covered with wax paper, I knew there would soon be cookies! And if they were no bake cookies? Bonus! I would lie in wait like a vulture watching Mom spoon the cookies onto the wax paper, ever vigilant for some of that molten mixture to inevitably fall off the spoon in transit. Then, when she wasn’t looking, I’d steal those bits & pieces that hadn’t made it. Life was good when there were no bakes.

My parents also made popcorn balls together. I would always get excited because Dad was in the kitchen! It’s not like he never used the kitchen, but this wasn’t Campbell’s soup and a bologna sandwich with butter & Miracle Whip. That’s not really cooking, after all. Mostly, I think it was just fun to see him & Mom working together instead of staring at the television. What can I say? As a kid, it didn’t take much to make me happy. And, if it involved Dad, chances are good that I was indeed happy.

Unfortunately, I do not have access to their popcorn ball recipe, but I know it involved popcorn, corn syrup, and a box of Jello. I loved those things, even though I’d bite down on the occasional unpopped kernel. I do not know how we managed to eat them by the gross each year and not crack a tooth; undoubtedly it was sheer luck. I would not be so lucky these days, however, because I don’t have dental insurance.

Once the popcorn balls were done and ready to be put away, I distinctly remember a large, square Tupperware container making an appearance. I could clearly see this container in my mind’s eye, so I googled it. Sure enough, it did exist! …although it’s not really as large as I remember it. I guess back then it was large to me and my pudgy little hands.

All of the Christmas goodies were then stored in the “backroom,” which as the name implies, was literally an unheated room at the back of the house. It served as our primary entrance, storage room, and quasi-mudroom. I’m not sure the reasoning behind keeping them out there. Maybe they kept longer? Maybe to deter children? I’m not sure, but the icy cold winter temperatures did not ever stop me from running out there barefoot to get into the treats.

Once the treats were safely in cold storage, it was time to get back to the Serious Business of poring over The Official Christmas Bible, which was the JCPenney Christmas Catalog in our home. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, I also had to keep an eye out for the latest TV Guide. How else would I know when all of my favorite Christmas specials would be on? Despite their plot lines filling me with anxiety, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, A Charlie Brown Christmas were must-watch TV. And I’m sure we all enjoyed many a hot mug of Swiss Miss over the years while watching. What better way was there to spend a cozy Winter evening?

At 50 years old, those days are long behind me now. Time has moved on, memories have faded, and the world has become a different place. Dad got esophageal cancer and passed away back in 2019. Now that he is gone, the holidays will never be quite the same. He was a large, jolly fellow who loved the holiday season and truly embodied the spirit of Christmas. His absence has left a huge void that nothing can ever fill. As much as I long to, I can’t go home again.

What I can do is stroll through my memories of a happy, simpler time in my life, which I often do. And while I will never again walk into my childhood kitchen and see my parents making popcorn balls together, I can walk into my own kitchen and make holiday treats for the people I love. When the day comes that I am no longer here, my girls will hopefully have fond memories of their mom in the kitchen—probably griping and cussing because something isn’t going as planned—making her long list of holiday goodies.