The Week Ahead

December 22, 2024

The last full week of a true annus horribilis, 2024, lies ahead of us.

Usually, people are happy to see the end of a difficult year. Not so this time, as we know what lies ahead.

Nonetheless, I plan on enjoying the holiday and the new year, and I hope you’ll be able to do the same. Since it’s the rare Chrismukkah holiday, where Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah overlap, we’re gearing up to celebrate with friends and family.

I thought I’d leave you with visions of sugarplums, or at least of some cookies and my very messy kitchen, as my two youngest kids and I have spent the last 24 hours making dough and baking cookies.

Although they’re really called rugelach, Yiddish for little twists, my Grandmother called these cookies, a dough made with cottage cheese and filled with brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon, meltaways, because they never lasted long in our house and literally melted away. I always try to set a few aside to last because they’re delicious with coffee in the morning for at least a week.

We’re also trying our hand at sugar cookies this year. We have a tradition in our neighborhood of dropping off boxes of cookies at our neighbors’ homes. We’ve already made buttercream frosting in four different colors and are going to trying our hands at decorating tonight so we’ll be ready to take these around in the morning.

Wishing you a week filled with joy, however you celebrate.

We’re in this together,

Joyce