It is that time of the year. Holiday spirit. Since we will be traveling for Thanksgiving and missing out on one of our families' favorite traditions of cooking Thanksgiving together at home, watching football with zero stress, and putting up Christmas decorations, we went ahead and put Christmas decor out!! That had me thinking about how much you two love baking things around this time of year. Plus, you love milk as well. How did this delightfully delicious tandem become so perfectly paired? We all remember coming home from school to a plate of warm cookies and a cold glass of milk. In addition, of course we left out cookies and milk for Santa on Christmas Eve! There’s something special about the combination of milk and cookies that has made it a beloved tradition for generations. Not that I dug to deep but the history of milk and cookies dates back centuries. In 17th century Europe, it was common to dunk hard biscuits in wine or ale. As trade routes expanded, sugar became more widely available, leading to the creation of sweeter treats like cookies. By the 19th century, it had become common to serve these sweet treats with a hot drink like tea or coffee. fast forward to the 20th century and milk became the standard sidekick for cookies. With the rise of refrigeration, families began keeping bottles of milk on hand at all times. It didn’t take long before people realized cold milk was the perfect complement to warm, gooey, freshly baked cookies!!
On the other hand for decades we have all made a little plate of cookies, poured a glass of cold milk, and reluctantly slunk off to bed, anxious for Christmas Day to arrive. But why do we leave milk & cookies out for Santa? Well, it depends on where you’re from.
In Germany, people would decorate a paradise tree with wafers in celebration of the Feast of Adam and Eve; by the 1500s, this tradition merged with the Christmas trees we know today and the wafers were replaced by cookies. How about Odin, the greatest of the Norse gods, was believed to travel across Scandinavian countries on an eight-legged horse. Children, unable to stay awake to join in the festivities, would leave carrots and hay for the horse, hoping to be rewarded for their generosity in the form of treats such as chocolate coins, cocoa, mandarin oranges and marzipan. Leaving cookies and milk for Santa—and perhaps a few carrots for his reindeer—took off as an American holiday tradition in the 1930s, during the Great Depression. In that time of great economic hardship, many parents tried to teach their children that it was important to give to others and to show gratitude for the gifts they were lucky enough to receive on Christmas. No matter the origin story, I love the idea of children across the globe setting out that little plate of milk & cookies, excited for the day to come. Just as much as I get excited for the 5 Friday Finds you gift me with each week.....
Dad-hood is funny. I’ve been a parent for 6 years, but somehow all my clothing has aged 20 years!!
Twins: “it is that time of year dad!!"
Me “ basketball season?”
Twins: “No....there are not enough PJ days in our lives. We just want to stay in Christmas jammies!!”
The problem with parental controls is I need my twins to help me figure out how to set them up!!
Not to be dramatic or anything but what to pick out to wear for a wife who does not know how to match in the slightest and what to choose to cook for twin boys is literally tiring my life!!
A little bit of our bodies is shark -Twin 6year olds explaining cartilage!!
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