Christmas Thyme

The Christmas season is upon us. Its time for the ovens to be dusted off. The cookie cutters to be found and way to much sugar to be consumed. I have great memories of this holiday. Though with every gathering there is always downfalls. One, holiday music I just don't get the hype about Christmas songs. But I diverse since this is about food and not music. Which side note I know nothing about music so that should make you glad this is about food. The last post I mentioned making cookies every Christmas with my family and what great memories I have of doing that. Now that I'm older I don't get the Great Cookie Swap. 

This is how it goes down. I spend one Saturday baking at least three types of cookies. Usually chocolate chip. Sometimes it is done with family or friends other times it's done alone. My co workers and friends do the same. Then I give away the cookies I baked and get cookies everyone else makes. Down side to this little cookie swap, you may not like the cookies the other person makes, you can't eat the cookies you worked so hard on, the other person may not know how to cook, and always you eat way too many cookies. Don't get me wrong I love cookies but why and when did cookie exchanging become such a huge part of this season. Also why don't people exchange things they enjoy cooking? If I like to make jam or biscuits why can't I give those to my neighbor? The whole cookie aspect is just odd to me. 

I'm going to answer my own question. "The earliest examples of Christmas cookies in the United States were brought by the Dutch in the early 17th century. Due to a wide range of cheap imported products from Germany between 1871 and 1906 following a change to importation laws, cookie cutters became available in American markets. These imported cookies cutters often depicted highly stylized images with subjects designed to hang on Christmas trees. Due to the availability of these utensils, recipes began to appear in cookbooks designed to use them. In the early 20th century, U.S, merchants were also importing decorated lebkuchen cookies from Germany to be used as presents." This little glimpse into our past comes to you by Wikipedia. Which may not always be the best source of accurate information but I'm going to go with no one lied about where Christmas 

Cookies came from so that Europe could look good. So thanks Europe for our Christmas tradition. No matter how I feel about swapping cookies at least they are better than fruit cake. No one can make that stuff taste good. 

Well, I hope you all have a merry Christmas and you enjoy those cookies.