Every Christmas morning, my sisters and I tumble downstairs, pause
to survey the adorned Douglas Fir and its outlying territory, then
continue to the kitchen. It’s a family tradition that before
fingertips ever meet wrapping paper, we sit down to a big breakfast of
bagels and lox and scrambled eggs with onions. In my less ripe years,
I considered this practice illogical frivolous excruciating;
however—predictably—as the son of God’s1 birthdays have accrued, I’ve discovered pleasure in the affair. The frequency of fully populated
family breakfasts has shrunk since two of three children have moved out
from under our parents’ roof and I think we all appreciate that this
Christmas meal not only guarantees full family attendance but also
promises that each party is going to be upbeat, which I’m not sure how
other families work, but let’s admit that the wear of most days isn’t
conducive to an atmosphere where all the faces at a table are
invariably smiling.
Christmas
Christmas
In Season - Mistletoe
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Along with holly, laurel, rosemary, yews and the Christmas tree, mistletoe is an evergreen displayed during the holiday season and symbolic of the eventual rebirth of vegetation that will occur in spring. But perhaps more than any other of the Christmas evergreens, it is a plant of which we are conscious only during the holidays. One day we're kissing under the mistletoe, and next day we've forgotten all about it. The Druids considered the mistletoe to be a sacred plant and believed it had miraculous properties which could cure illnesses, serve as an antidote against poisons, ensure fertility and protect against the ill effects of witchcraft. Moreover, whenever enemies met under the mistletoe in the forest, they had to lay down their arms and observe a truce until the next day. From this has seemingly come the ancient custom of hanging a ball of mistletoe from the ceiling and exchanging kisses under it as a sign of friendship and goodwill. Another version, however, says that this custom, which was widespread among the Anglo-Saxons, was connected to the legend of Freya, goddess of love, beauty and fertility. According to legend, a man had to kiss any young girl who, without realizing it, found herself accidentally under a sprig of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. Even if the pagan significance has been long forgotten, the custom of exchanging a kiss under the mistletoe can still be found in many European countries as well as North America. It was once believed that if a couple in love exchanged a kiss under the mistletoe, it was a promise to marry, as well as a prediction of happiness and long life. So, be careful who you choose to smooch this holiday season! |
The Soup That Saved Christmas
No one wants a face full of snow. But that’s what I had all too often
growing up in those brutal Chicago winters. I always seemed to be in
the middle of a blizzard walking against gale force winds – which is
why I spent more time walking backwards than I did forward.
And no one wants to step into slush. But when I did, my mother would
put my shoes in the oven. Usually about thirty minutes too long. My
shoes would come out smoking and ruined, which was not unlike many of
our family dinners.
And no one wants to be a poster child for static electricity. But the
winter air was so dry that my hair repelled my brush, my pants clung to
my socks, and touching anything would send enough voltage through me to
light up Soldier Field.
Those were not a few of my favorite things.
So when Christmas vacation would approach, I was pretty much champing at the bit to get out of Dodge.
But it never happened.
Holiday Fruit Cake
I went to storage and found my mother's recipe for Holiday Fruit Cake. A lot of people think of fruitcake as something to use for a doorstop, but this is not your average fruitcake. It's really delicious.
My mother would make it for the holidays for a handful of people, including Leonard, who loved it and looked forward to it every year.
Here's a scan of it written out in her handwriting as a 2-page pdf (which you can download here). She used a check mark instead of a quotation mark for "same as above", and medium dry cherry should be 'sherry'.)
She usually baked it in round bundt cake type pans with a hole in the middle. Leftover mix would be baked in a normal loaf pan.
Happy Holidays!
Sharon Robinson is a singer, music producer and Grammy winning songwriter, as well as author of "On Tour with Leonard Cohen, photographs by Sharon Robinson" (powerHouse). Sharon’s mother, Mildred Robinson, was a well-known caterer and restauranteur in Beverly Hills during the ‘60s and ‘70s. Sharon's new Album, Caffeine, will be released in early 2015.
http://www.sharonrobinsonmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/sharonrobinsonmusic
The Feast of Many Nations
On December 24th, 1963, Philadelphia was hit with a rip-roaring
blizzard. I’ll never forget it. By evening, the drifts were well past
knee-high. Snowflakes swirled in the halos of streetlights. Driving
anywhere was out of the question. Wrapped up in coats, boots, gloves,
hats and scarves, and loaded down with bags of presents, my girlfriend
Bonnie, my mother and I set out on foot for Aunt Tilda’s house. What would have been a 7-minute drive turned into an hour trek. I
remember laughing so hard we could hardly walk. We knew we were crazy
to be slogging through such a storm, but we were determined to reach
our destination. It was Christmas Eve, and Aunt Tilda had prepared the
traditional Italian Feast of Seven Fishes.
Tilda’s house was decorated to the rafters. Twinkling lights
outlined every window. Tiny red and green Christmas balls hung from
each curtain ruffle. Swags of tinsel garland draped the mirrors. The
huge tree was covered with hundreds of ornaments she had been
collecting for decades. At its top perched a gossamer angel. And
beneath its bedecked branches, nestled the white and gold 30-piece
Nativity set that Tilda had stayed up into the wee hours painting on
many a sweltering summer night.
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