The Christmas Pickle
Baking on Christmas Day
Several years ago, our family started observing the tradition of the Christmas pickle: “The night before Christmas it’s hung on the tree; While everyone’s sleeping, it’s done secretly; And on Christmas morning when you arise, The first one to find it will get a surprise.” Some say this is a German tradition, but this seems to be in dispute, and I can’t honestly say I ever saw a glass pickle ornament on a tree while living in Germany. No matter, it’s a fun tradition, and the boys look forward to searching for the pickle each Christmas morning.
Our family’s pickle prize has traditionally been one surprise the lucky finder could share with his brother, but the pickle surprise this year was in two packages (Ryan declared them first and second pickle-finder prizes). The two packages, however, worked best when used together, a thinly veiled, yet successful, attempt at fostering cooperation and teamwork! After opening their respective pickle gifts, the boys
together pestered all day to bake and decorate their car-shaped cakes in the car-shaped cake pan Ryan had received as his pickle gift; and together they prepared the batter (wearing their new aprons and wielding their new spatulas); and together they protested not being allowed to stay up late to decorate their little cakes with the decorating kit Connor had received as his pickle gift. I can only hope that tomorrow they will together decorate the car-shaped cakes before devouring them; but for tonight, I am reveling in the spirit of brotherly love, the moment of peace (but certainly not quiet), the spirit of Christmas, that was so evident in this moment today.Merry Christmas!