"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
– Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
Ah, Christmas. It is my most favourite time of the year – it always has been my favourite season and always will be. It goes beyond the decorations, lights, music, festivities and even food (even though I really, really love all that). Christmas is about love. It is about the Greatest Love who came down in the form of a human being, for us, formerly loveless souls, to be reconciled to God. It is about loving others through many different ways – gift-giving, music-making, hosting, sharing, listening, being. It is also about rest, a time to recharge. I really love Christmas.
My take on 'log cake' – Black Forest Cake
Every Christmas, I would cook for my family. I am always very ambitious. I would prepare a feast to the best of my ability, although I am not the best cook. I would brainstorm food ideas, plan ahead, buy ingredients, prepare some components of the food in advance, cook on the day, etc, etc. And let me tell you, I become very disappointed in myself if I fail to meet my goals. This year was no exception. This year, on top of preparing Christmas Eve's eve's dinner (yes, there are two "eve's" and it is not a typo error), I decided to make a variety of cookies and two cakes for my family and friends. Yes, I went into a frenzy of baking. And while my bakes were successful (I was thrilled!), the dinner was somewhat less successful than what I had planned, although my family begged to differ, and my boyfriend was very supportive of me in cooking with me. I was disappointed in myself for not having made the perfect main dish (I tried to cook vongole for the first time), but eventually realised that it didn't really matter because hey, I was with my family and what a joy it was to be together! And so that evening, we enjoyed our less-than-perfect vongole, our modest yet delicious cheese board selection and black forest cake afterwards. Most of all, we enjoyed each other's presence.
As for the variety of cookies, I made a ton of them, packed many of them and gave them away to friends and my boyfriend's family. It was such a joy because when I see the people I love happy, my heart brims.
Cookies galore! Featured: Spelt Chocolate Chip Cookies, Matcha Caramelised White Cookies, Dark Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies.
Even now, my heart is overflowing with thankfulness. It has been a wonderful time with family and friends.