Holly Jolly Christmas Cookies

My hubby brought me home a Holly tree a couple days ago. Someone had pulled it up and was getting rid of it where he works. That poor holly tree. What a time of year to get kicked to the curb. It’s happily planted in our yard now. I’ve had the song Have a Holly Jolly Christmas in my head ever since.

My mom talked me into baking Christmas cookies. For the past few Christmases, my parents have been traveling so I have been in charge of the yearly mailing of family recipe Christmas cookies to my brother. With them home this year, I figured I was off the hook but she invited me to do it with her. Then it turned into her making gingerbread at her house and me making the family recipe ones at my house. The ones that fill my kitchen with the aroma of anise. The ones with cinnamon candies intended to look like holly berries or Christmas ornaments or eyes depending on how they are placed on a certain shape of cookie.

I was dreading making the cookies, mostly because I never feel like I am doing it just right or that they will be just like my grandma’s. I get stressed and the whole process makes me cranky but once it’s over and there are dozens of frosted cookies in my kitchen, I am glad I did it. I always realize when it’s over that I was silly to worry. They come out just right and they taste just like grandma’s and I am flooded with lots of wonderful memories (and a few extra calories).

This year, my 6 year old daughter helped me. We started at 9:30 Friday night and were both asleep covered in flour at 11:45. We woke up Saturday morning ready to make frosting and decorate them and then at last they were done. It was just as it always is while we were making the cookies. I was stressed. I got annoyed. I was tired. I wanted to just stop when we were halfway done and call it good. My daughter had been making it harder, not listening or helping. But she really really wanted to finish, so she kept me going when she saw I was going to call it quits. Suddenly, she was all helpful and she rolled and cut while I kept my eye on the oven and moved done ones to cooling racks. I was seriously floored and brought to tears by the end of the night. Good, happy tears. I told her I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her. It was like she was my little angel gently guiding me to the end of this project with grace and a smile. A Christmas miracle.

My family’s cookie recipe:

Preheat oven to 375.

1 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
3 tbsp. water
1 tsp. anise
•
6 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp. nutmeg

Cream Shortening
Add sugars
Beat eggs, add
Add water and anise

Mix & sift dry ingredients- add to creamed mixture.
Make into balls; chill.

(I double the dough recipe)

And the frosting we use:

1 egg white
2 tsp. cold water
½ tsp. vanilla
¾ – 1 cup conf. sugar

(I made 6x and still had some leftover)

Decorate to your heart’s content. You may want to go lighter on the sprinkles than my kids did!