Day 112: Cookies

It's funny how things become traditions.  Ever notice you do something more than once (especially at church!) and it's automatically a "tradition?!"  Some things that get passed down don't even make any sense after a few years.  But we keep on doing them anyway, even though we don't know why!


I had a friend tell me that for years when she cooked a ham, she always cut off both ends.  She didn't really know why she did it, but that's how her mom always did it, so she just assumed it made it taste better.  Once, when she asked her mom why they cut off the end of the ham, her mom said, "Because that's what my mom always did."  So then she asked her grandma why she cut off the ends of the ham and her grandma died laughing (not literally died . . .)  She said, "Honey I've always cut the ends off of my ham because my roasting pan is too small for the whole thing to fit!"


Like I said, sometimes "traditions" get passed down and we don't even know why we do them.


Our family has a very special tradition that we simply call "Cookies."  Every year our family bakes and decorates sugar cookies.  And while this holiday tradition in and of itself does not sound significantly different than what millions of other people do this time of year, this tradition is a "bit" different, because well . . .we are Joneses, and we are . . . well . . . a "bit" different.  :)  

"Cookies" started in 1995 when we moved to The Woodlands.  Mike was a deacon at Crossroads Baptist Church, and each year we would bake and decorate cookies, then we would deliver them all to the widows for whom he cared. 
And because these cookies were for sweet little old ladies, I wanted them to be extra special.  So for months I experimented with sugar cookie dough until I found just the right one.  And then I experimented and found the most delicious icing that dries to a delicious goodness that literally makes the cookie melt in your mouth.  Yum.

Eventually his list of widows became quite large, so we had to bake and decorate TONS of cookies, and we realized that our little family of four just couldn't meet the demand any longer.  So . . . we turned it into a competion.

Each year, on the night of "Cookies" we invite a family to join us for this special night of creativity.  I bake A LOT of cookies, and then all of the participants of the night decorate said cookies.  Then, at the end of the evening, there is an official judging of the cookies that have been decorated.  Each person presents their two best cookies, gives their entries a special name, and then the best cookie is awarded a trophy.

Here we are 16 years later, and we are still doing "Cookies." It's something we love.  This year, though I thought he would miss it, Jacob drove three hours just to be home for "Cookies."  It's just that special to us.

I don't know if we'll do it forever.  But for every year that we get to do it, I will treasure the time that we are together as a family.

All that to say, Cookies 2011, you are over.  And I didn't win . . . again.  But maybe next year.  (Oh, and I promise not to use a new recipe next year,  Jacob.  I mean, tradition is tradition . . . even if it is just frosting.)  And Zack, I totally thought "Candy Corn Christmas" should have won!