Stars

This year Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) starts on December 7 and ends December 15. It’s a time to celebrate miracles and the importance of light and freedom from oppression. For me, it also means baking and decorating cookies. I love the colors of this season: all shades of blue with white and gold added for a touch of elegance. I’ve never attempted to make the more traditional treats like latkes or jelly donuts, but beautiful and tasty cookies are always welcome at any celebration, right?

Sometimes a holiday and a cookie cutter meet to inspire something out of this world. That’s exactly what happened to me this year. I’ve had a shooting star cookie cutter for several years, but have only used it a few times. Suddenly the 4th of July and the shooting star cookie cutter joined forces and called my name. With these two things in mind, I was ready to develop a plan.

A new friend of mine was planning an event to congratulate everyone on her team for a job well-done and she asked me to make gold star cookies to honor them and recognize their efforts. I immediately thought that my shortbread recipe would be the perfect cookie and started planning “Operation Gold Stars.”

Christmas and cookies are a match made in heaven. There are so many possibilities...and so little time once the season begins. Every year I want to make every cookie cutter shape I have, from angels to zebras, and decorate them for the happiest time of the year. Although I like to use the traditional color scheme of red and green, other color combinations make for sweet treats, too. Like aqua and orange, pure white with eye-catching accents, even pink and blue! And the plate of cookies for Santa has to be extra special and delicious.

When it’s time to put up the Christmas tree every year, I must confess that it does not have a theme or a dominant color palette. And I don’t even hang the same ornaments every year. Oh, there are a few favorites, like those that remind me of special people and events, new babies, and beloved pets. The final touch always involves hanging a lot of long crystal ice cycles that twinkle as they reflect the tiny lights that wind around the tree. Each year the tree looks familiar, but slightly different. But there’s always a tree at Christmas.

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day festival that involves food, prayer, dancing, oil, candles...and cookies, of course!