Making Connections

The Christmas spirit has kicked into full swing this week in more ways than I can possibly count.  Not only is it the first week of December, but it seems as if Santa has already arrived with the week I’ve been having. 

It was a week of rallying new friends, and of longtime pals working together to help me forage ahead in my new career…no, I’m not opening a bakery (yet) for the twentieth time, but I am returning to the freelance world for my “regular” job.  The challenges will be good for me, and potentially leaves me with more time periodically for creating baked goods. 

You don’t really realize how many friends you have until you have jumped out of your comfort zone and see who comes along for the ride (or to your aid).  Some of my longtime pals I will no longer see from day to day, but will still be in my heart…and I will just have to leave fresh baked goods on their doorsteps from time to time.  It was, all in all, an interesting week for me full of connections, both of the friendly kind and of the holiday baking and crating kind. 

Yesterday brought us the first snowfall of the season!  I looked out the kitchen window into the grey afternoon to see large flakes landing on the butterfly bushes in the back yard.  I wasn’t certain it would stick because it has been warm for so long, but after awhile the ground began to fill up white and the picnic table was covered in a healthy dusting.  It was as if Christmas had finally found it’s way to New York, and I could finally let loose a sigh of relief. 

I have been waiting for the holiday feeling to truly come over me this year.  Last weekend I did decorate the outside of the house, but it was still nearly 60 degrees, so it didn’t quite do the trick.  Friday night, the annual Christmas play opened at Axis Theatre (where Brian produces and acts) called Seven In One Blow.

Somehow, seeing this play every year is the true beginning of the holidays for me.  It’s a children’s play, but so wonderful for adults too.  The message of the show is really about celebrating the differences in people and loving them for who they are, and that each one of us is brave in our own way.  Brian plays the Scarlet Pimpernel every year, and is so much fun to watch.  Other characters make fun of him throughout the show, but come to understand in the end that he is a person too, with feelings that can be hurt by angry words and mean actions…a good lesson for kids and adults alike. 

I decided yesterday to make a gingerbread cake to take to the actors at Axis.  I’ll probably do gingerbread cookies closer to Christmas day, but in the November Saveur magazine, I had found a recipe for English Gingerbread Cake that sounded delicious.  The cake was light and airy because it has a mixture of cake flour and whole wheat flour along with some cinnamon, ginger and a liquid base similar to caramel made with dark corn syrup, sugar, orange marmalade and brown sugar.  It rose beautifully and made lovely, cut square bites to share with everyone.  All of the actors were very complimentary and it made me happy.

I also thought that with the snow's arrival I should start thinking about making some Christmas ornaments.  Last year I discovered in the December Martha Stewart Living an ornament crafting project.  Normally I wouldn’t consider myself the “crafty” type.  I like beautifully made things, and many crafts I see aren’t quite my style, but these ornaments relied on the use of German springerle (cookie) molds.  Ornament How-to  I found a place online that makes them, and ordered two for myself last year.  Not only was I able to make ornaments, but I was also able to use the molds for their true purpose…making cookies.  The cookies are more like a spicy biscuit, which go great with tea or coffee, and I will definitely be making them again this year.  Speculaas Cookies  

The ornaments are quite easy to make, but somewhat time consuming because you have color paperclay with acrylic paint, flour the molds and cast each ornament one by one.  It takes a bit to get into the rhythm of the project, but once you do it only takes a few hours to make them.  The ornaments have to dry for a few days, and then you can paint on them as you wish.   They are a great gift when completed, and I will be giving some out again this year. 

The mold I purchased this year is of a Christmas tree.  Last year’s molds were of an “old-time” Santa and a Victorian snow scene with a sleigh.  There is something extremely charming about these pieces to me, and I hope other people enjoy them as much as I do.  They are a wonderful pairing with holiday cookies in a gift basket for friends, and if you start now you will have plenty of time to make them.  The molds come from House on the Hill, but you can also buy them at Sur La Table (but they are EXTREMELY marked up in price).

I lit my evergreen scented candle, put on “A Diva’s Christmas Carol” and whiled away the day with crafts, baked goods and holiday music in the background, and it was the most fine day I have had in such a long, long time.  It can often take so little to recharge one’s batteries…I was busy, but what I was doing felt so good to me, so right.  How often do you get to spend the day making things for friends and family in the comfort of your home, with the snow falling outside and no interruptions from the “real world”?  It doesn’t’ happen often enough for me. 

Our lives (Brian and I) have been overtly hectic these past few weeks, and I don’t expect that to change anytime soon.  What I can do to maintain sanity is to continue moving forward in life the best I can.  Sometimes that means listening to a friend talk things out over the phone, sometimes that means baking a cake.  I don’t have a preference really, I just want to make the most of the time I have with my friends and loved ones.  Baking/making things is a way I can be closer to them, have them in my thoughts and maybe spread a little cheer along the way.  It’s just who I am.