My Christmas Baker
Every year, for as long as she was tall enough to reach the counter while standing on stool, I have had a Christmas baker. Actually, in those days I had a baker year round but at Christmas she always insisted that we make an extra effort. One year, after she had gone to the other side of Canada to study physics at McGill, I made a comment at work about how she would be home tomorrow and I had better stop and get all the ingredients for Christmas baking.
A coworker replied “oh you are such a great mom, baking for your daughter.”
I was confused for a moment. Then the mental image I had about what would be happening with these supplies and the one she had began to meld. I laughed and then explained. I would leave for work the next day with the counters stacked with baking supplies and when I came home they would all be transformed into Christmas baking. In addition, the kitchen would be spotless and supper would be ready with a backdrop of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger still in the air. My baker would be smiling a passionate satisfied smile, the house would be toasty from an oven that had been working overtime, and with a candle on the table and music in the background she would ask about my day and begin to bring me up-to-date on her studies.
Now, after completing a master’s degree in physics, she teaches science at a private school here in British Columbia. The beauty of this is she gets the same kind of vacations as she did when she was a student – which means that, most years, my Christmas baker still arrives home ready to do magic… or science – to her they are the same thing (and this year she brought most of the ingredients).
There are those of us that bake, like me, because we love the end result. Then there are those, like my Christmas baker, who love to bake because it is science that tastes good. For example, I don’t ever remember exclaiming about how the baking soda was reacting with the water as I mixed the ginger snap cookies - nor how interesting it was to determine how much canola oil to use when you didn’t want to use butter and so on. I just wanted to bake the baking and get the kitchen cleaned up before it was time to make the next meal or go to bed. I liked to think about eating the things that were being made and about other people eating them. Now, this is true of my Christmas baker as well, but she while she is watching you munch on her crafted delights she will be regaling you with scientific facts about the interactions of the ingredients that lead to your delicious mouthful.
This year, as she is working away, she says to me “if I was ever going to do anything besides teaching - which I LOVE - I would have a little bakery café and serve nothing but the best, healthy, wholesome food that is delicious.”
Oh, did I not mention that she bakes mostly with whole wheat flour – even in her dream bars and ginger snaps. The best part is you have to be keenly aware to notice. The dream bars taste like they have coconut in them but nope – it is whole wheat.
My Christmas baker is off already with cloth bags stuffed with tins of baking to give to our various family members and her friends. I have two tins left to package and mail today, plus a host of items in the freezer for when holiday guests come by. Ah, the Christmas baking is finished for another year.
Thank you Josie with much love mom.
p.s. Note to readers: I did make the shortbread and the candied pecans.
warm regards,
Terrill
© 2009 Terrill Welch, All rights reserved.
You are welcome to use and share material from this Blog in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link and email link. Please also notify me where the material will appear.
The attribution should read:
"By Terrill Welch. Terrill Welch is a writer, photographer and artist. To learn more, feel free to browse through her http://terrill.gaia.com website."
redbubble: http://www.redbubble.com/people/terrillwelch
blog: http://terrill.gaia.com/blog
twitter: https://twitter.com/terrillwelch
email: tawelch@shaw.ca phone: 1-250-539-5877
Appreciation is a condition not a symptom.

Help



