Keeping Christmas Through the Year

Looking Ahead: Keeping Christmas Through the Year

 This blog has always been rooted in a particular season — one filled with light, tradition, memory, and care. While it naturally comes alive in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the heart of the season doesn’t disappear once the decorations are packed away.  Going forward, I plan to keep this space active throughout the year with one simple rhythm: Rudolph Day.

Rudolph Day is traditionally observed on the 25th of each month. My Christmas friends and I use it as a small, fun  reminder of Christmas spirit tucked into the year. On those days, I’ll be sharing a short post inspired by whatever feels seasonally or personally meaningful at the time. Sometimes that might be a recipe, crafts, or a nature inspired idea. Sometimes it will be a memory, sometimes a bit of practical preparation for Christmas and sometimes just a quiet reflection.

These posts won’t be about holding onto Christmas too tightly. Instead, they’re about carrying forward the parts of the season that matter most to us — warmth, light, generosity, comfort, and connection — even as the year changes around us. 

I like the quote from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol: “I will Honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”  I think that is my real goal. 

If something especially Christmas-themed appears in our lives outside of those days, I may share it too. But there is no pressure here. This is meant to be gentle, sustainable, and true to how we actually live.

When October arrives, the pace and focus will naturally shift again as the Christmas season approaches. Until then, Rudolph Day will be a small marker — a pause to prepare for next Christmas, to remember, reflect, and keep a little light glowing.

I’m glad you’re joining me in this journey. 

Christmas Memories and Images from 2025

Christmas Details I Want to Remember

This Christmas felt less about doing and more about noticing. The season unfolded in small, ordinary ways — a familiar face that looks a little more like Santa every year, a table set for brunch, the quiet glow of holiday lights as the day grows shorter and evening become longer. These are the details I want to hold onto. Not the full story of the holidays, but the fragments that linger when everything else fades — the moments that made this season feel like ours.

Snow globes, cozy shirts and Bob. Yes, Winter is here.

Merlin is looking to see if Santa is coming.

The tradition of Christmas Crackers- hats, jokes and tiny gifts. All staring with a “POP”

Relaxing Christmas brunch of crepes with all sorts of delicious toppings.

We enjoyed events like seeing the 2025 Christmas train in person.

The tiny Christmas town tells its own little stories.

The Gnomes are all hanging out together. Hand carved with love by Bob.

Making a new space for the house plants but with a festive twist.

The crèche is the first and most important decoration of our Christmas holidays. 
It was made by Grandma Cooper long ago and is still part of our special memories. 

These are a few of the pieces of Christmas I hope stay with me long after the decorations are packed away. 

Family Christmas Recipes: Meringues and Bow Ties

Family Recipes: Making Use of Every Egg

At Christmas, the kitchen becomes a place of both tradition and practicality. These two family cookies have long been made together, filling the house with familiar rhythms, memories, and a reminder that nothing — especially at Christmas — needs to go to waste. They’ve been paired together in our Kitchens for as long as I can remember.

Some of my favourite family recipes weren’t just about taste — they were about usefulness.

When I was growing up, nothing was wasted lightly in the kitchen. If a recipe used egg yolks, there was always another one waiting to make use of the whites. Baking felt practical, thoughtful, and quietly resourceful — lessons passed down without ever being labelled as such.

Two of those recipes have stayed with me for decades, and they’re still often made side by side in my kitchen today.

Meringue Kisses

(For the Egg Whites)

As a child, the best part of making these little meringue kisses was choosing the colours and sprinkles. Now, I appreciate them just as much for another reason — they’re a simple, pretty way to use up extra egg whites.

They keep well, look lovely on a dessert tray, and feel a bit festive no matter the season.

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites, room temperature
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
  or ½ tsp vanilla + ½ tsp lemon juice
• Optional: ⅔ cup chopped nuts
• Optional: food colouring, sprinkles, or crystal sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 250°F (120°C).
2. Beat egg whites and salt until foamy.
3. Add sugar one teaspoon at a time, beating continuously, until the mixture becomes very stiff and glossy.
4. Beat in flavouring.
5. If using nuts, gently fold them in.
6. Divide and colour the meringue if desired.
7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
8. Drop meringue by spoonfuls, creating a small swirl or curl at the top if you like.
9. Add sprinkles or sugar before baking.
10. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off the oven and let cool inside — even overnight.

Bow Ties (Chruściki)

(For the Egg Yolks)

These delicate fried cookies hold some of my fondest kitchen memories. I learned to make them with my mother and my Polish grandmother, long before I ever saw them appear on television cooking shows.

They’re simple, crisp, and lightly sweet — and they use up the egg yolks left behind from other baking.

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 whole egg
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp brandy
• About 1½ cups flour

Method

1. Mix the first five ingredients together.
2. Gradually add flour until you have a soft, workable dough.
3. Roll the dough thin on a lightly floured surface.
4. Cut into narrow strips.
5. Cut a small slit in the centre of each strip.
6. Pull one end through the slit to form a knot or bow.
7. Deep fry in hot oil until golden and crisp.
8. Dust lightly with icing sugar while still hot.

Storage Tip

These keep well at room temperature but are sensitive to humidity. I store them in a cookie tin layered with paper towel.

Nothing Wasted

I still smile when I think about how one recipe smoothly leads to the other.

Egg yolks become bow ties.

Egg whites become kisses.

It’s a small thing, but it carries the kind of wisdom I value most — care, practicality, and the understanding that food connects us across generations.

A Note for Modern Kitchens

I still make these recipes much the same way they were taught to me, but a few small adjustments can make them easier in today’s kitchens.

• Meringue kisses:
  Use very clean bowls and beaters. Superfine sugar dissolves more easily, and a pinch of cream of tartar can help stabilize the egg whites. On humid days, let the meringues cool completely in the oven to keep them crisp.
• Bow ties (chruściki):
  Roll the dough very thin — it puffs slightly when cooked. Fry in a neutral oil at about 350°F (175°C) and work in small batches for best results.
• Air fryer option (experimental):
  These are traditionally fried, but they can be adapted. Lightly brush with oil and air fry at 375°F (190°C) for 3–5 minutes, turning once. The texture is different — more crisp than delicate — but still enjoyable.
• Storage tip:
  Both cookies keep best in an airtight tin. Adding a layer of paper towel helps protect against humidity.

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A New Chapter at Christmas

Merlin’s First Christmas and a New Season for Our Family

This is Merlin. He is our 11-month-old Keeshond puppy, and he came to live with us just in time for Easter. From the very beginning, he has brought lightness and joy into our days. He is a gentle little soul — curious, thoughtful, and just mischievous enough to keep us smiling.

Many longtime readers will remember our Samoyed, Jasper. This blog was part of our family throughout his entire life. Jasper passed away in November 2024, and we miss him deeply. He was our constant companion and our Christmas buddy for many years. Nothing could ever replace him. But sweet Merlin has brought a new kind of spark to our family — not as a replacement, but as a new chapter.

How Merlin Changed the Season

There is something especially magical about experiencing Christmas through the eyes of a puppy. For Merlin, everything is new — the lights, the music, the scents from the kitchen, the snow under his feet, and yes, even the outfits.

Merlin approaches the world with gentle wonder. He often seems to be asking, What’s that? and then deciding, Okay, let’s try it. He is a little timid at times, but always curious. His enthusiasm is contagious, and without realizing it, we find ourselves slowing down and seeing the season differently because of him.

What Stayed the Same — and What Changed

We haven’t had to make many big changes with Merlin around for the holidays. Mostly, it’s about puppy safety — especially around food. He listens well when we say “no” or “leave it,” but anything left unattended on a low surface still calls to his puppy heart.

One accommodation we’ve definitely made is due to Merlin’s love of paper. He was excellent at opening his own gifts — and helping everyone else open theirs — but the instructions for the Christmas lights didn’t survive the process.

Decor-wise, he’s been surprisingly respectful, even with ornaments hanging low on the tree. That said, we did find him one day chewing on a dried orange slice that had been hanging halfway up the tree. He had climbed onto the couch to reach it, clearly convinced it was meant just for him.

Winter Through a Puppy’s Eyes

Both Samoyeds and Keeshonds are double-coated dogs, built for cold weather. Jasper, at twice Merlin’s size, had the heart of a sled dog. Long, fast walks were his joy, and he was a devoted running companion for our family.

Merlin is an athlete too — just a very different kind. He specializes in zoomies, tight circles, leaping onto snowbanks, and flinging snow into the air with his nose. Long walks aren’t really his thing. He prefers exploring, climbing, and tasting snow whenever possible. I suspect he’s more of a “run through the woods” dog than a sidewalk walker.

We’ve turned our fenced backyard into a small winter wonderland, adding extra lights and shovelling paths so both people and puppy can enjoy the space. Merlin loves romping around with his people, chasing sticks and playing in the snow. The humans join in too — usually with hot drinks in hand to keep warm.

A Very Special New Chapter

This year also marked a first for us: Merlin as a visiting and therapy dog in training. He has a natural gentleness and seems to sense what each person needs. One of my most treasured memories this Christmas was Merlin visiting a personal care home, delivering small paw-print cards to residents.

The quiet, innocent connections he made that day are hard to put into words. It was a reminder of the deep comfort animals can bring — and of how healing those moments can be for everyone involved.

Capturing the Little Joys

Merlin also has his own small Instagram page now, which means we’ve taken far more photos than ever before. Sharing his experiences has made me more mindful of small moments — the everyday joys that might otherwise slip past unnoticed. @merlin_keeshond

The holidays have felt lighter this year because Merlin is part of our world. He has brought laughter, movement, and new memories into our home. And for that, we are deeply grateful.

This season has been shaped by both memory and new beginnings, and Merlin has helped us hold space for both.