The Cookie Sheet

The coupon inserts have been full of baking coupons and baking ingredients have been on sale for several weeks. The smell of fresh baked cookies is just around the corner. The blogosphere will be full of cookie recipes over the next few months and lots of websites are hosting Cookie Countdowns.  All this means cookie baking time is here! Are you planning to bake cookies this year?

I love baking Christmas cookies. It's one of my favorite Christmas traditions. Growing up cookie baking took several forms. Sometimes it was bake a batch here and there. But, when I was in middle school, cookie baking became a cookie marathon.

My mom, an aunt and one of their friends would get together at our house and bake cookies all day long. I got to be there a few times through unusual events -- a major bought of bronchitis coincided with cookie baking day.

It was about this time that an unusual tradition began in our family:

the use of the cookie sheet.

This is not the kind of sheet you put cookies on and bake in the oven. This is an old bedsheet used to cover the table and allow the cookies to cool before they are boxed up.

My mom had one that she used for many years, and later after she passed away, I raided the closet and found the sheet. Now I use the same sheet to cover my table and cool cookies as I cook them.

In my memory, the many dozens of cookies were primarily consumed by my siblings and I. But occasionally they would be shared. Today, I give away many cookies as gifts to teachers, neighbors and specials friends.

Baking Cookies for friends and neighbors and using the Cookie Sheet definitely works for me.