Christmas Artist

Dear Wil, It was such a pleasure to receive your letter; we read it on Christmas Eve which made it even more special to us. Thanks for sharing your favorite part of the holidays: seeing family, friends, and having big meals. We have that in common but this year that wasn't possible; that's why your letter meant so much to us; THANKS! 

When I was a child I watched my mother make Christmas ornaments like this one with Santa Claus in it. She glued each one of those pearls on so carefully that they are still on the ornament today, 60 years after she made it. She made that Christmas tree skirt also along with other ornaments that I still have. 

My mother had been a commercial artist so at Christmas she painted very thin sugar cookies cut out using her Christmas detailed cookie cutters. There were reindeer, snowmen, a shepherd with a sheep, Christmas stockings, Stars, Christmas trees, candy canes, snowflakes, gingerbread boys, holly, a drum and we can't forget Santa Claus. Here is her recipe for the thin crisp sugar cookies:

from Winnie Lee 

1 cup Crisco 

1 cup sugar 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

 2 eggs 

2 tablespoons milk 

one teaspoon soda 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

3 cups flour 

Cream sugar and crisco, add eggs and milk and vanilla. Sift flour, soda, salt and baking powder together. Add to first mixture. Mix well. Roll out 1/4 inch thick and cut. Bake 7 to 8 minutes at 400° very good cookies! "Crisp!"

Her frosting was made out of powdered sugar, hot coffee or hot water, butter, vanilla and a large spoonful of marshmallow cream to make the frosting shine and taste good. It had to be thin enough to paint it onto the cookies with her paint brushes but not thinned too much with water. She made it "just right". 

Thanks for asking for my favorite Christmas childhood memory. 

Bonnie Glynn