Powerline Productions
  • Home
    • Contact
    • Author Pastor Mike Curtis
  • Books
    • Homeschool >
      • Joyful & Successful Homeschooling
      • Seven R's of Homeschooling
      • Quick & EZ Unit Study Fun
      • Unlocking the Mystery of Homeschooling High School
    • Picture Books
    • Celebrate >
      • Wedding Planner
      • St. Valentine's Day Cards
      • Celebrate Our Christian Heroes
      • Celebrate Thanksgiving
      • Celebrate Christmas with a Traveling Dinner
  • Curriculum
    • HIS Story of the 20th Century >
      • HIS Story of the 20th Century Textbook
      • HIS Story of the 20th Century High School Workbook >
        • 20 Century HS Workbook Answer Key
      • HIS Story of the 20th Century Middle School Workbook >
        • 20 Century MS Workbook Answer Key
      • HIS Story of the 20th Century Cookbook
    • High School Courses >
      • Economics, Finances, & Business >
        • Economics, Finances, & Business Answer Key by Meredith Curtis
      • American Literature & Research
      • British Literature
      • Who-Dun-It Murder Mystery
      • Foundations of Western Literature
      • Communication 101: Essays & Speeches
      • Old Testament Survey
      • Worldview: Understand the Times Workbook
      • Drama
      • Career Choices & the College Decision
      • Real Men 101
      • Real Men 102
      • Real Men 103: Leadership
      • God's Girls 101
      • God's Girls 103
      • God's Girls 104: Motherhood
      • God's Girls 105: Homemaking
    • Travel God's World Geography >
      • Travel God's World Geography Unit Study/Worktext
      • Travel God's World Cookbook
    • Unit Studies >
      • Travel to London Unit Study
      • Travel the World Country Report Lapbook
      • Celebrate Christmas in Colonial America Unit Study
      • Celebrate Christmas with Cookies Unit Study
      • Celebrate Christmas in Germany Unit Study
      • My Creation Week Lapbook
      • Lambs Exploring Heavens Lapbook
    • Teach History the Fun Way >
      • American History Cookbook
      • Ancient History Cookbook
      • Ancient History Timeline
      • American History Timeline
      • Let's Have Our Own Archaeological Dig
      • Let's Have Our Own Ancient Greek Olympics Games
      • Let's Have Our Own Medieval Banquet
      • Let's Have Our Own Luau
    • Families Learn Together American History >
      • FLT American History Art Appreciation
    • STEM Notebooking Pages
    • Middle School Courses >
      • Americana Newspaper Reporting
  • Bible
    • Real Men >
      • The Making of Real Men
      • Real Men Talk about Freedom, Girls, & Marriage
      • Real Men Build
    • God's Girls >
      • God's Girls Brand New Life
      • God's Girls Beauty Secrets
      • God's Girls Friends to the End
      • God's Girls Talk about Guys, Virtue, & Marriage
    • Ladies Bible Studies >
      • Lovely to Behold
      • A Wise Woman Builds
      • Jesus, Fill My Heart & Home
      • Friends to the End
    • PremaritalCounseling
  • Cozy Mysteries
  • Blog

Being World Changers, Raising World Changers

Blog
Powerline Productions Team

Christmas Tradition: Baking Cookies

12/3/2018

0 Comments

 
Picture
Brown-eyed Susans, sugar cookie rolls, and butter cookies with cherries in the middle were favorites I made with my mother. We rolled out dough and cut out different shapes, sprinkling them with sugar. My grandmother's specialties were snickerdoodles, haystacks, and lace cookies.

I loved those cookie baking days with Mom and Grandma. I can still remember the wonderful smells and the delightful conversation. The memories are so precious to me. 

Of course, I have carried on the traditions of baking cookies with my own children. 

We have our own favorites: snowballs, gingerbread men, toffee bars,  pecan tassies, and molasses cookies. Of course, we still make my mom and grandmom's cookies too. 

Like in days of old, we roll out the dough and cut out all kinds of shapes. And as I pull out Mom's old cookie cutters, there is always a stray tear or two. 

We love to make cookies and package them to give as gifts, but our first batch of Christmas cookies is always made the day we decorate the Christmas tree. 

Here are some things I've learned to make cookie baking fun and festive: 
  • Play Christmas music while you bake and decorate
  • Relax and prepare for mess and spills. After all, it's just part of baking with the kids
  • Decorating sugar cookies or gingerbread? Set up a decorating station with everything you need on the table AFTER you have covered it with newspapers or a plastic tablecloth
  • Get out all your cookie ingredients out the night before, except for those that have to be refrigerated--put those on the same shelf in the refrigerator. That way if you need to run to the store you can do it early in the morning before you start baking
  • Wear clothes that can get dirty, as well as making an "All Bakers Wear an Apron" rule

Now, where did the tradition of baking cookies at Christmas come from?

Picture

When Did the Christmas Cookie Tradition Start?

Picture
The first cookies, or little cakes, are thought to date back to the Persians who loved their sweets. 

The tradition of baking cookies at Christmas goes all the way back to the Middle Ages.

Pilgrimages and Crusades brought sugar, dates, and spices like cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg back to Europe.

​Since these ingredients were expensive, they were used on special occasions and holidays like the Feast of Christmas. Sweet desserts, including cookies, were served to guests as special treats.

Later, Germans decorated Christmas trees with cookies and are believed to be the inventors of cookie cutters.

Moravians made decorations out of cookies to use as centerpieces. 

The Dutch brought Christmas cookies with them to America when they settled in New Amsterdam, later New York. Germans soon followed with their gingerbread, lebkuchen, and pfeffernusse cookies.  

Picture

Questions & Answers about Christmas Cookies

Picture
Do you want to make cookies to hang on your Christmas tree? 

Just poke a hole in sugar or gingerbread cut-cookies. After the bake and cool, you can thread a thin ribbon through the hole to hang on your tree. 

Can I freeze Christmas cookies?

Yes. You can freeze bar cookies in slabs or the whole pan. Thaw and cut when needed. 

Cut-out cookies and sugar cookies can be frozen. Just be sure to put waxed paper (or parchment paper) between each layer so they don't stick together. 

Are you looking for creative ways to serve your cookies?

Arrange on kind of flat cookie like a wreath around the edges of a platter. Fill the inside with rounder cookies. 

Stack cookies in shapes like a tree or star. 

Place small glasses of milk on a large platter. Put a single cookie on top of each glass. 

Are you looking for ways to package your cookies to give as gifts? 

Stack cookies in a pile inside a mason jar. Decorate the lid and tie a ribbon around the jar. 

Place cookies inside egg cartons. 

Wrap each cookie individually in colored cellophane wrap. Place in a basket. 

Line a Christmas cookie tin with festive paper and place cookies inside. 

Place in decorate glass jars. 

Wrap a Pringles can with Christmas wrap and carefully place cookies inside. 

Please share your creative ideas for Christmas cookie baking and if you are feeling especially generous, your favorite Christmas cookie recipe. 

Love, love, love to each of you and Merry Christmas! 
Meredith Curtis

Christmas Resources

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Christmas Podcasts

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Meredith Curtis
    Laura Nolette
    Sarah Jeffords
    Julianna Curtis
    ​Marla Stevens
    ​Katie-Beth Curtis Nolette
    ​Pastor Mike Curtis

    Archives

    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017

    Categories

    All
    A Wise Woman Builds
    Beauty & Health
    Celebrate
    Economics
    Family Fun
    Field Trips
    Freebies
    Geography
    God's Girls
    History
    Homeschool
    Homeschooling High School
    Hospitality
    Ladies Heart To Heart
    Living Books
    Maggie King Mysteries
    Music
    PLP Family News
    Preschool & Toddler Fun
    Real Men Build
    Recipes
    Reviews
    Sales
    STEM
    TOS Review Crew
    Travel
    Weddings
    World Changers

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from cloudzilla, Fil.Al, vaniljapulla, m01229, Ian D. Keating
  • Home
    • Contact
    • Author Pastor Mike Curtis
  • Books
    • Homeschool >
      • Joyful & Successful Homeschooling
      • Seven R's of Homeschooling
      • Quick & EZ Unit Study Fun
      • Unlocking the Mystery of Homeschooling High School
    • Picture Books
    • Celebrate >
      • Wedding Planner
      • St. Valentine's Day Cards
      • Celebrate Our Christian Heroes
      • Celebrate Thanksgiving
      • Celebrate Christmas with a Traveling Dinner
  • Curriculum
    • HIS Story of the 20th Century >
      • HIS Story of the 20th Century Textbook
      • HIS Story of the 20th Century High School Workbook >
        • 20 Century HS Workbook Answer Key
      • HIS Story of the 20th Century Middle School Workbook >
        • 20 Century MS Workbook Answer Key
      • HIS Story of the 20th Century Cookbook
    • High School Courses >
      • Economics, Finances, & Business >
        • Economics, Finances, & Business Answer Key by Meredith Curtis
      • American Literature & Research
      • British Literature
      • Who-Dun-It Murder Mystery
      • Foundations of Western Literature
      • Communication 101: Essays & Speeches
      • Old Testament Survey
      • Worldview: Understand the Times Workbook
      • Drama
      • Career Choices & the College Decision
      • Real Men 101
      • Real Men 102
      • Real Men 103: Leadership
      • God's Girls 101
      • God's Girls 103
      • God's Girls 104: Motherhood
      • God's Girls 105: Homemaking
    • Travel God's World Geography >
      • Travel God's World Geography Unit Study/Worktext
      • Travel God's World Cookbook
    • Unit Studies >
      • Travel to London Unit Study
      • Travel the World Country Report Lapbook
      • Celebrate Christmas in Colonial America Unit Study
      • Celebrate Christmas with Cookies Unit Study
      • Celebrate Christmas in Germany Unit Study
      • My Creation Week Lapbook
      • Lambs Exploring Heavens Lapbook
    • Teach History the Fun Way >
      • American History Cookbook
      • Ancient History Cookbook
      • Ancient History Timeline
      • American History Timeline
      • Let's Have Our Own Archaeological Dig
      • Let's Have Our Own Ancient Greek Olympics Games
      • Let's Have Our Own Medieval Banquet
      • Let's Have Our Own Luau
    • Families Learn Together American History >
      • FLT American History Art Appreciation
    • STEM Notebooking Pages
    • Middle School Courses >
      • Americana Newspaper Reporting
  • Bible
    • Real Men >
      • The Making of Real Men
      • Real Men Talk about Freedom, Girls, & Marriage
      • Real Men Build
    • God's Girls >
      • God's Girls Brand New Life
      • God's Girls Beauty Secrets
      • God's Girls Friends to the End
      • God's Girls Talk about Guys, Virtue, & Marriage
    • Ladies Bible Studies >
      • Lovely to Behold
      • A Wise Woman Builds
      • Jesus, Fill My Heart & Home
      • Friends to the End
    • PremaritalCounseling
  • Cozy Mysteries
  • Blog