Choclate Chips and Understanding

Christmas comes once every year, but the many preparations last at least a month. The Christmas shopping, hearing girls squeal “Ohmigawd look at that top Mommy I absolutely need this!!” flipping their beach blonde hair in their oh-I-am-too-cool-and-I-have-to-get-what-I-want outfits. Putting up the lights, listening to the corny music, and of course seeing the badly dressed mall Santa’s that vaguely smell of tobacco.

All of that is “enjoyable”, but there is one part of our Christmas tradition I had come to dread… Cookie and Candy day. I didn’t understand why we made so much if we were only going to eat it all! I didn’t get why we had this ever present mandatory day. However I finally dot it after a horrifying family tragedy.

Summer of 2008 my grandma died of colon cancer. Every member of our family was devastated. My grandpa, whom I call Pawpaw, especially. Many months later, during the Christmas festivities he came over to “assist” us in Cookie and Candy day.

We spent hours making thousands of cookies and endless candies. All the while cheery Christmas music was there, quiet as a whisper, in the background. Pawpaw had been “called” to entertain us. He told melodramatic stories of our aunt, uncles’, and dad’s multiple adventures. He was in the middle of explaining how Uncle T didn’t understand what apple pie a la mode was and had a break down in the middle of Big Boy’s. During that moment I understood how monumental baking cookies could actually be.

First off it brings people together. Whether it’s making the cookies or sampling their deliciousness. However, the cookies change. They start out as brown blobs with multiple chocolate chips in the middle. But when you put them into the oven they turn into something fantastic. They become gooey and yummy and lovely.

My epiphany stated that people are like cookie dough. We go through hard times that trouble us. But we end up feeling better than how we started. I will go through the “furnace” again in my life, but I know that I may turn into something as brilliant as a chocolate chip cookie. Unfortunately Christmas preparations are still hazardous to me! I still loathe shopping and seeing the multiple Santa’s. However, now I look forward to Cookie and Candy day. It’s a tradition that will forever be in my family.