Picking up the house a bit earlier today and trying to find a place for the unwrapped gifts strewn about, I began to think about the gifts that I’ve received throughout the years. Funny that I really don’t remember many of them that clearly!
Now I can remember what my brother, Scott, and his wife, Tammy, bought for me last year, but what was it the year before that? And the year before that? I can’t remember what my own son bought for me last year — but I can remember the year he was so proud of the Jerry Springer t-shirt he so carefully wrapped when he was no more than 12 years-old! I also remember the book he gave me written by wrestler, Mick Foley, that he was the first to read.
But the gift I remember most clearly — out of every gift that I’ve ever received is …cookies. Yup! And I can tell you to this day exactly what they looked like when I unwrapped them at least 25 plus years ago.
Scott and Sheri hadn’t been married long and were pretty poor (ok, so they were REALLY poor, and I was poorer). Not able to afford gifts for everyone, Sheri baked these incredible sugar cookies that were big, soft and had thick colorful icing. They were pink and green and blue and decorated with Christmasy stuff! Neatly stacked in a big canister with a wooden lid, they were placed in a Christmas bag with tons of tissue paper out the top. Now remember — this is before Christmas bags were everywhere and you could buy them at Wal-mart or the Dollar Store! This was my first Christmas bag experience AND the first time I had ever had real, homemade Christmas cookies!
Before you start feeling sorry for me, let me explain. My Grandmother could bake a mean pie, but she wasn’t the cookie type (unless it was peanut butter cookies — my Pap-pa’s favorite), and my Mom was a business owner who didn’t have time to be Betty Crocker. It just so happened that I had never before had REAL homemade, decorated Christmas cookies.
Sheri has been gone since June 28, 2005 — but she lives on in my Christmas memories for that fabulous gift she made to give me so many years ago…