Friday, December 10, 2010

Snoopy vs. The Red Baron (Snoopy's Christmas) (CC)





Ha! My dad was a great Peanuts fan and my childhood Christmas always had this song in it. I thought you all might get a kick out of it.

Yikes! I've been working my fanny off. This past week it's been one customer after another and a line behind, all day long. I've been coming home and dropping like a rock.

But today its time for another Christmas tradition... baking cookies! "Fuzzy" has finished toys for all my grandkids and I've got to whip up some cookies to accompany them to daBear's. This is the first Christmas that I will not be with my kids since they were born. It is imparitive that they at least have my cookies there.

Not that I was a big baker when I had my kids. I think Christmas time was about it for goodies for them. Maybe a pie or cheese cake at Thanksgiving. My mother did not bake goodies at all. That's what Lock's Bakery was for.

In fact, C4C will recall this memory of Lock's Bakery (I don't think it was truly spelled this way, but that was how it was said.) When we were in our bizarre little private school, we had a variety of ages of students and we all did things together. C4C and I were on the upper end of the ages, though truth be told she was likely more mature than me, even if I was older.

Our school was temporarily settled in a fun area of town with lots of shops and places to eat. Lock's Bakery did as many bakeries have done over the years and gave cookies to kids. I'm sure you've done that... go shopping with your mom and get a cookie from the nice lady behind the counter. Hey... she gave you a cookie and that's proof of nice!

Someone of us, and I could not recall who, suddenly recalled the free cookies at the bakery and off a small division of us set for sugary sweet treats. Now there were two brothers who attended our school. J and T were total opposites. One was tall and dark and the other was short and blond with cute little chubby cheeks. A cherib of a boy. But don't let that fool you.

Locks Bakery was a neighborhood bakery that had been well established for many years. It was filled with grandma like blue haired ladies, looking very prim and proper. Some of us did our thing and were turning to go after polite thank yous. There back lit by the sun streaming in through sparkling windows were J and T. Mischief lit up their faces and I was compelled to stop and watch whatever was about to happen. T pulled a small plastic package and ripped it open, letting the smaller part that ripped off drop to the clean floor. A few drops of moisture leaked out as he pulled the rubber from its wrapper and proceeded to blow it up like a balloon... there in the middle of the bakery floor with blue haired grannie types and hoity toity patrons gasping in horror.

I admit that I covered my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. But it was that nervous laughter that you know means that someone is going to be in trouble laugh. Not that I did not clutch onto C4C outside and give it a good belly laugh. The look on those ladies faces.

However, as it happens in life, there are natural consequences for what we do and the result of that folly was the loss of free cookies! That was a crying shame.

Not much of a Christmas tale, but I know it will make C4C laugh and let's face it... we can all use a good laugh this stressful time of year. For the rest of you all I can do is tell you that I am baking cookies today... so close your eyes and think of your favorite Christmas goodie that screamed Christmas in your head. Was it the smell of ginger bread (cookies or loaf)? Was it sugar cookies iced with frosting and shiny sugar bits and balls? Was it Snickerdoodles? How about a still warm brownie with melty chocolate chunks? YUM.

Today... a day off for me... but not an idle day. I have many folk to bake for this year and this batch has to get into UPS soon if it will reach my grandkids and kids on time. No rest for the wicked... or was that the weary? No matter, I'm a bit of both. Big grins everyone!

20 comments:

  1. That's a great story! And personally, I like frosted sugar cookies for any holiday.

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  2. I'm not much of a baker myself, but I do love fresh baked cookies :-D You cannot go wrong with a still warm brownie with melty chocolate chunks.... oh, sorry, got lost in thought there for a bit :-)

    Also, I think that is a perfect Christmas story! It contains a cherubic boy, cookies, and a very festive atmosphere!

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  3. when i ride my bike past the bakery in the morning and smell the goodies it's heaven on earth. it got to be one of the best aromas on the planet.

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  4. Churlita-- It really made me laugh at the time.

    That is exactly what I was baking today! Sugar cookies rule at Christmas time.

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  5. secret agent woman-- This time of year things always get away from me.

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  6. laura b.-- Ha! I did not think of it that way. He did look like an angel, but what a stinker!

    I agree... anything with melty chocolate is sinfully good.

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  7. billy pilgrim-- Agreed! That aroma is a true earthly delight.

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  8. The bakery was Laucks.
    The kid was one of the more dangerous ones in our school. His father was a famous poet - loved the kid - wrote poems about him - and smoked pot with him - (which I now consider a reportable child abuse event - but then I thought was pretty cool).

    That kid and Patrick ruined more that a few events for the rest of us, in that A-dults were horrified and on the verge of calling the Po-leese.

    Those were crazy times - people on edge, trying to defend a defense-less war and president. made everybody pretty grouchy.

    Unless you were stoned and on the verge of laughing your ass off all the time as Ananda and I were.

    Great times, great times.

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  9. Also - your post inspired my post today - check it out - and springerle is ultimate Christmas cookie in my mind. That and pfeffernusse (which Lauck's had - is there nothing Lauck's hasn't touched in my life? Really!)
    Neither are that "to die for" but traditional in my mind. A tradition that did not get passed on to my kids, I might add. They don't like licorice (anise) flavor in their cookies - and why would they? Wow this was a GREAT post for me - and I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and dog-gone it, people like me! (Love you!)

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  10. Heh, heh. Our bakery was called Wanamaker's. I forgot about the free samples, or rather, I haven't thought about that in ages. Before that, I can't remember the name of the bakery, it was too long ago, but the baker's name was Pete, and he would give me free cinnamon twists, or sometimes a lemon-filled cupcake with a little powdered doo-dad on top.

    I am fortunate enough to have an excellent bakery still, within walking distance, though I doubt they give anything away anymore. I'm sure it's considered a liability now.

    My Nana always bought me pfeffernusse around the holidays. She and I loved them. The ones she bought were way more anise than pepper. My Dad called them "teenzyballzen."

    I don't know if there's one baked good that says Christmas to me. Fruitcake, maybe? But we always bought those. One thing that does remind me of Christmas is "old lady" candy... you know? The weird assorted ones: multi-colored, with mint, wintergreen, clove &c?

    A clove hard candy says Christmas to me.

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  11. Yeah. Good old Lauck's Bakery. We all went there. It was THE place to go to if you didn't want to bake your own. They changed owners a few years ago and went downhill fast. They then changed locations and are said to be doing well. But in the old days we kids lived for those free samples.

    Thinking of bakeries just puts the pounds on me so I'm content to just drive past it and wave my hello.

    Glad things are going well for you, Ananda.

    Catch you in the new year.

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  12. In Watertown, all of the bakeries are either Armenian or Greek. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but they don't tend to make the cakes and things I associate with bakeries from my childhood. What they do make is good stuff. The breads are excellent, and the cookies all have a hint of rosewater in them. Lots of pistachios.

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  13. C4C-- Ha! Oh but you know how I feel about Patrick! Still my favorite from those days besides you of course. And as I recall, I was also wrapped up in that flag that got us all escorted out of the airport by security. ;-D But you are right... we were not a well behaved group of people and those two were generally at the head of things.
    We grow up and its much less cool through the eyes of an adult, but it still makes me giggle.

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  14. C4C-- Mummmm... pfeffernusse are treasures! I know... Laucks infested my life as well. Every year for my birthday I got a drunk pink elephant cake.

    I will go and see your post now!

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  15. Cricket-- I love that; "teenzyballzen" What a hoot! And old lady candy... a perfect name for a rare treat. I will admit that fruitcake is not my personal favorite. We called them door stops and used to joke that grandma gave us a regifted one she'd gotten the year before. :-D

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  16. Peggy-- Smart of you to drive by and wave. Ha. Well, that alters my plan to introduce Randy to Lauck's. Oh well... it goes along with fond memories of the food court at the Farmer's Market... calzonies, BBQ pork sandwiches, etc. Heavy sigh.
    But hopefully I can still introduce him to you!

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  17. Suldog-- We had a large Armenian population in Fresberg too... great food!

    I am not used to this area yet and have not found one single bakery here, but I know they are out there.
    It's probably a good thing that I have not found them yet.

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  18. Suldog - Just thinking of Greek/Armenian desserts makes me wanna drool..........

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