To me, the sweet smells of spices, vanilla and citrus emanating throughout the home really make the holidays especially warm and wonderful. I keep a small pot of orange peel, cinnamon sticks and ginger simmering on the stove whenever I am at home over the holidays. But the greatest smell of all is that of warm baked goods coming out of the oven. This year I am baking gingerbread, shortbread (some with orange zest and some with a dollop of jam on top) and kourabiedes (a greek cookie piled high with powdered sugar, a recipe I learned from my mother-in-law, Kiki). I'll bake enough to share with friends, neighbors and visitors. I plan to take a small plate to each friend we visit over the holidays. As my daughter grows up, I hope she will remember the delicious holiday treats we baked together and, perhaps, pass them on to her children.
Holiday Decorating: Putting up the Christmas tree was always a source of holiday stress in our home when I was growing up. My mom had standards when it came to putting the lights on the tree. I remember her telling my father, "No, take that string off and do it again, I can see the wires." It was hours of tedious, exasperating work for my poor father. But when it was finished, it was glorious. I, on the other hand, (perhaps in protest of my mother's strict standards) toss the lights on, laying them up and down, twisting them gingerly through the branches with less attention to wires showing and just hoping it will make the tree sparkle just right. This year I dried some orange slices and tied them with pretty red ribbons and hung them on the tree. I also took some of my gingerbread men and strung ribbons through them to hang on the tree. Stringing popcorn and cranberries and/or raisins (golden or traditional) is another great natural addition to the tree. If you are low on ornaments (being a new family ourselves, we have just a few) just add ribbons and bows made from fabric with thin wire edges for lasting bow shapes that you can re-use year after year. When you have small children and/or animals the bows, orange slices and cookie decorations are unbreakable and non-toxic for curious little people and critters. Whether you put up a tree or just decorate with greens around your home for the holiday sesaon, you can keep a natural feeling in your home by using natural materials instead of bright plastics and store-bought decorations -- use your imagination and create from nature. Search outdoors for pinecones and fallen pine branches and pine needles. Make 5-pointed stars with thin twigs tied with raffia or twine and hang them in your window panes.
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