Our Traditional Christmas Baking

Before Christmassy December approaches, our family is already busy with our traditional Christmas baking.

Well, it is my husband and the girls who are busy baking our Christmas cookies/biscuits. My participation is buying the ingredients needed. And of course, cleaning up after them!

Our favorite Christmas goodies include: Spritzgebackenes, Buttergebackenes and Kulleraugen.

The recipes are the traditional recipes coming from the Oma, although most of the time, there are modifications here and there.

It is indeed team work, baking these Christmas goodies. Someone should roll the dough, create the form, place them in the baking sheets, and into the oven. Then start the timer, check the goodies and take them out of the oven. Add more decors and trimmings, etc. And that is only for the Buttergebackenes (Butter Cookies).

I haven't mentioned the hardwork needed to create the Spritzgebackenes or Shortbread Cookies. Someone should work on the Spritzmachine, someone should pull the dough of the machine and shape it, someone should spread the cookie sheets and make space for another one...

A challenging work, this Shortbread Cookies. But the girls love baking this together best. Because the urgency is fun. They can't help but scream and cheer and laugh and shout boo -- depending on the success or failure of their working rhytmn. They also love the shapes that comes out from the machine; and those that are done by their fingers.

Christmas baking is not done one time. It is repeatedly done on weekends. Because those cookies are biscuits are used as everyday snacks, sent as gifts, and shared in Christmas parties.

Did you choose the date of my birth?

'Why is it that my birthday is December 10?' MC asked me. 'I wanted a different birthdate. How could you choose such a date?'

My answer was, 'I didnt choose your birthdate. The doctor gave me an estimated date of your arrival and you chose to come 10 days earlier. Therefore, it was you who wanted that date.'

I explained further that it was the same with IC, she came 10 days earlier, too. And I went on to inform you the cute details that happened during THAT day as you both eagerly savored the stories and giggled deliciously.

MC's birthdate story goes like this: I was telling her papa that after putting up all the Christmas decors, the baby could come. We went shopping in Mannheim, a big shopping area in Germany and had a dinner of spicy Mexican food. That night, I saw a drop of blood in my urine and I told my husband that I just saw the sign that our baby is coming. (My mother warned me it could start with just a drop of blood).

We got ourselves ready, I took a shower even, lugged my bag and we drove to the hospital in Heidelberg. At around 1 am, the parking lot is empty. But of course, my husband's nervousness made him miss the big post in front of him. Not a big damage, but it happened :D

MC laughed so hard and made me repeat the story again and again. IC was giggling beside me.

IC's birthdate story meanwhile goes: We have prepared MC to get used to sleeping without us; brought her to her aunt to stay overnight to 'practice' once. Around midnight (again), my water broke. We woke MC up, she was two years old at that time, she readily got up, dressed herself up -- all alone.

We called up her aunt and she was picked up after a few minutes; before my husband and I drove to Heidelberg. In the middle of our trip, I remembered I didnt help MC put on her shoes. (It was cold that early morning in April) When we called her aunt up, she told us MC's got shoes on. I guess she learned how to put on her shoes that night. (Good girl!)

Oh, and that the first night that MC slept alone with her papa in our big bed; she cried because as she said, 'I miss mama.'

MC is 10

Dear MC,

You are now 10 years old!

With very simple requests for your birthday: a monopoly banking game board and a music CD from your favorite tennie pop singer Pietro Lombardi.

And a very simple birthday menu: Spinach with Gnocchi (Papa just added Fried Chicken Breasts just because...). As for your birthday cake, I should have baked the traditional teddy bear birthday cake like you requested, but instead, I decided to bake a Peach-Almond Cake which turned out to be too salty! But you were a trooper and just shrugged it off, saying, 'Mama, it's ok. Just make more donuts.'

And no, despite offering you the choice of places to have fun on your birthday -- you don't want to leave the house at all. You just want to play with your monopoly; and have your favorite dinner cooked and served at home.

There's your vaulting club, where you celebrated today by bringing a pack of mini donuts for your group. You did bring some donuts to the neighborhood kids and the elderly neighbors just because you wanted to.

But the real kiddie birthday would be this January, as you wanted all your friends to be present. Despite that, we already practiced for your 'pajama themed birthday party.' See the photo on the top? That was you practicing your song for your future pajama party. Then I guess we just need to practice more, right?

We could dance all night again. We could sing all night again. We could eat midnight snacks again. That was fun, right? Who would have thought practicing for a birthday party would be that exciting? But am sure the real kiddie party would be fun, too.

You are hardworking. You love cooking. You love the outdoors. You love exploring the road less travelled, figuratively. You love climbing trees. You love fruits. You are always curious. You are starting to love books, too.

You hate chocolates. You hate chaos. You hate being teased. You hate it when IC plays too rough with our dog, Rikki. You hate being late.

You are proud that you are now 10 years old. We are, too!

And don't worry if you cannot get the lighter to work, nor to light a match in one strike -- there's enough time for learn those things.

Happy Birthday, dear MC! We love you.