Some folks say Christmas was the time of cookies at their house. Cookies, nah, our house was cakes, and then candy. The norm is a fruitcake, but those were OK. What I remember and really liked was the Apple Sauce cake with walnuts and raisins, the last two just for me. Then there was the German Chocolate, a white cake with freshly grated coconut and of course a couple pound cakes plus a chocolate pound cake. Oh yes I nearly forgot the Sponge cakes, Angel Food ones. Poppa liked those and Ma would bake one just for poppa’s lunch. Heck, what is funny is that my family like them too and when the boys were smaller, or younger, take your pick. The wife would bake an Angel’s food cake, cut it into four pieces and that was desert, no messing around each of us got a fourth of an Angel food cake. The wife and I had coffee and the boys had a glass of milk. Shucks, you know the good part of all the cake baking and all the preparations. Simple, simple as can be, I got to sop the mixing pans, the beater blades and the spatulas. Ma, Cal and Bill back when all were home did a lot of baking, baking with slabs of a special kind going to people around the village, especially the shut in or infirm. As was with candy and all the other goodies, which the Yule season saw prepared at our house. Heck I was trying to remember what kind of cake our preacher liked, for Ma always made a big three or four-decker cake for him as a Christmas present. Shucks, I hated to do household chores, but when it got some placed after Thanksgiving, I did not argue when I was told how many cups of black walnuts I needed to crack, how many hickory nuts and how many English walnuts, Pecans, Almonds and such. I did not argue a bit because I cracked and ate, ate and cracked nuts. Dang, reckon I am part squirrel, for I have, do and will always love nuts, nuts of all sizes and types. However, the Christmas candy was the big thing for first was the fudge, normal black or dark fudge with walnuts, then a batch with other nuts. After each batch was mixed, poured and cooked, I was handed the spatula and the pot to lick. I would scrape and lick and lick and scrape until heck the pot was nearly clean enough to use again without washing. I did not have to wash the pots or dishes, that was the girls' job. After three four or more batches of fudge were made and as I said, of course, I licked the pots, mixers, and all of that, then it was time for say Sea foam candy. That stuff was so neat, you take a piece, put it on your tongue, close your mouth and it would melt. Poof, gone, disappeared; but it tasted good. Now pulling taffy was neat, for you would take a gob and pull it until it got a certain way. I do not remember the mechanics but I remember we would pull and make a big mess, get the stuff all over me and not get admonished, well not get whipped, just chewed on a little. However, if the mixture were not cooked just right then it either would become sugary and brittle or would never become hard enough to be taffy. White Logs, were the neatest, because they used white powdered sugar and a little flour to make this dough type mixture, which was rolled out really thin, then a mixture of nutty peanut butter was spread over the thin rolled out powdered concoction. Then very carefully and slowly, it was rolled. When this process was started, I was usually sent off some place on an errand so I could not mess it up or cause it to be messed up. They would roll it into rolls about silver dollar size or thereabouts, then it would be sliced and the small round slices placed on wax paper to set up and get hard. Well not hard but to get a little more set. Oh this was good, really good. Then there were popcorn balls, caramel popcorn balls. Again, I did not get to pop the corn because for this, there could be no burned or scorched pop corn and I was infamous for burning, scorching or whatever to mess up the popcorn. A big old cooker, a blue enamel pot used to cook canned stuff was used. Ma’s caramel popcorn balls were given to lots of children far and wide. She always made them for her classes’ Christmas party, so we got the twice a year. Sounds like a lot of baking and candy making, does it not? However, that was the way it was in the village. You made, cooked and shared. After the oldest sister left, then ma and the other sister made the kinds the sister liked. Finally, she was off to college and ma slowed down a little, but she still baked and cooked more than some, but not as much as others. Now many years and very far away, the wife does sometimes make ea fruit cake for the sons. But no Chocolate pound cake or apple sauce cake with nut and raisins. But then heck if she did I would be eating and getting fatter. But shucks, now I prefer cake with no icing. Oh lord, Hector must have been a pup the last time I had homemade sea foam candy or that peanut butter rolled candy. ~ © Tom (tomWYO@aol.com) ~ November 30, 2003 If you use my graphics, please add my button to your page along with a link back. http://www.geocities/wcseptember2003/ If you enjoyed this page, check these out: My Last Christmas Doll Red Velvet Sledding Italian Is Ice Cream Momma's Clock When Santa Was A Boy Snowballing And.......for many others, click the link for HOME. Home: Writers' Corner Index