On Holidays on the Wind:

Yesterday turned out to be a dark gray, Winny the Pooh blustery day. It rained intermittently and at times hailed. But in between I was out going back and forth to the wood pile to refill the wood storage in the house. The wind raining down most of the leaves left on the trees, blowing them in every direction.

When I went down to the mail box to get the daily paper and the mail I couldn’t resist the feeling to throw my arms wide and sail the wind like a large free bird or bat. This I did with abandon but still I remained earth bound as the wind wrapped my long skirts around my ankles trying to trip me up as I walked.

As the day progressed it turned colder and at one point the rain turned to snow and at that instant the day had changed completely. Everything that was being done at that time was set aside to bake the first snow flake cookies.

Mixer and bowl, ingredients and cookies sheets all littered every kitchen surface. The magic of the first snow flake turned an otherwise cold gray day into a holiday at our house. Semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips and raspberry chocolate chips were liberally added to the cookie dough. No one special recipe. It’s the doing and what we bring to it that makes it a holiday.

A portion of the cookies were set aside to go to The Princess Daughter and Prince Charming. Even though they are not here we think of them on this family holiday. There have been years that I made the cookies alone because the others were elsewhere, but I have never missed a year. Even the years I had to wait until February to have the holiday and make those special cookies.

The house still holds the warmth and smells of fresh baked cookies even as I woke this morning and scurried to the wood stove to build the fire back up for the day. First snow flake cookie day may have past for this year but in my heart it is with me every day of the year. It is like family to me.

Today I will pick up where I left off and get back to work and work off the cookies eaten yesterday but the glow of family and first snow flake cookie day is still warm in my heart along with the memories that it brings back each year. Home made memories can be the most golden. Now feel free to make some of your own.