This time of year is bittersweet for many of us. It is a time filled with friends, family, memories of holidays passed and of those who are no longer with us. My husband and I now have lost both of our parents. They are all with us every day in different ways but this time of year their absence is felt more acutely.
As I start making holiday treats, I pull out my special booklet of recipes. The booklet was given to me by my Mother in Law in 1994 as a Christmas present. She had written out her special recipes on 3x5 cards in her beautiful handwriting, then slide them into page protectors. Over the years, that little booklet has been stuffed with my Mom’s special recipes I have pulled out from her recipe box, all written out in her handwriting, some neatly on cards, some on scrap paper. I have also put in a few of my special concoctions which are scratched out on whatever kind of paper I can find.
That booklet of recipes is one of my most treasured possessions. Seeing the handwriting and knowing that “The Moms” wrote them out, makes it seem like they are next to me as I am cooking. They also bring back the memories for the rest of the family who gets to enjoy the tasty treats they used to share with when “The Moms” made them.
So, in this time of Pinterest and Website recipes, may I suggest putting some of your favorite family recipes down on recipe cards and putting them into a little box or folder or recipe book. If your children are young, start it and keep adding to it until they are grown and out of the house. If your children are grown already, it will make a wonderful gift for them. They may not appreciate it now while you are still here, but I promise they will treasure it when you are gone.