I can’t believe it’s almost Christmas! And today I’m celebrating the season by watching Christmas movies and making Frosted Gingerbread Cookies. It’s also time for the next installment of Sarah and Nate’s (the heroine and hero of ONE DARK WISH) first Christmas celebration. 🙂


Sarah Munro ~ “Nate and I have just finished clearing the table while my father makes coffee. Since we’re all stuffed, and no one is ready for dessert, I decide to finish decorating the Christmas tree. The family room and the kitchen are open so I can see my father grimace as I head for the hall closet. He knows what I’m going to do. As I drag the boxes from the closet, Nate flops on the couch and frowns. At least he tries to. But I see a smile peeking through his handsome face.

You see, for the past few days, we’ve been “discussing” how to decorate the tree. I love trees covered with every ornament I’ve ever made, found, or collected. Even the ones I made for my mother when I was in preschool. But Nate and my father think that trees covered in “stuff” look gaudy or over-the-top. So the two men in my life banded together and hid my boxes. Every day since then, while I make breakfast or clean the kitchen, I’ve had to hide my disappointment in the barely-decorated tree. Yes, it’s lovely and looks tasteful and elegant. But…it has no meaning without my ornaments.

My dad brings over a tray of coffees, along with a plate of gingerbread cookies I made yesterday. And then he sits next to Nate. For a few minutes, they stare at me while I add more and more ornaments to the tree. Then comes the commentary.

“Do you think the tree will hold all that sh*–I mean stuff?” Nate asks my dad.

“Doubt it,” my dad says while he drinks his coffee. “It’s also a fire hazard.”

Good Golly Moses. I take a cookie (which is totally delicious) and turn up the music. Bing Crosby’s O Holy Night fills the room. “You two have no vision.”

“Because we’re blinded by the sparking colorful lights.” Nate laughs and takes a cookie until I grab it out of his hand. We’d had another disagreement over the lights. My dad and Nate wanted white lights but I’d insisted on colored ones.

“No cookies for you unless you help me.” I then take a bite of his cookie and go back to my tree.

My father returns to the kitchen, grabs the tin of cookies, and hands it to Nate. “Son, you sure you’re not going to have another seizure because of those colored lights?”

“Ugh.” My husband, an ex-Green Beret, used to suffer from seizures due to time he spent in an Afghan POW camp. “Dad, Nate is all better. The colored lights won’t induce seizures and they’re much nicer than the white ones.”

Nate laughs again while he eats two cookies at once. “Maybe I will and maybe I won’t.”

I toss the silver garland Nate hates and it lands on his lap. “You’re much taller than I am. You can add the garland to the top of the tree.” Then I put my hands on my hips and stare at the men I love most in the world.

Finally, after they both eat another cookie and glance at each other, they stand. But my dad takes the garland while Nate turns off the music and goes to the upright piano in the corner. While my dad helps me add the garland, Nate starts playing Silent Night, Holy Night. Then he sings in the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard. My dad and I pause to look at him.

“I didn’t know you could sing,” I say to Nate. “Why didn’t you tell me? We’re newlyweds. Isn’t that something I should know?”

Nate winks at me. “I’m a man of mystery.”

“Apparently.” As I hold up the garland for my dad I try to come up with a secret I’ve been hiding from Nate–like he hid his singing–but I can’t think of anything. I’m an open book, as one would say. Except for that one thing….but I smile and keep decorating.

My dad chuckles and starts to sing as well. Since I have the voice of a frog, I add the four ornaments I made in Brownies. But I can’t help the tear that escapes and traces my cheek. This past year has been so difficult, and there’s been so much loss and danger, its hard to believe that we’re all here together safe and healthy. My dad finishes the garland and takes me into his arms, yet I can still see my husband playing and singing nearby. I never would’ve believed that my life could be so complete. So incredibly beautiful. I’m beyond grateful. I’m humbled by our blessings and know that this Christmas is just the beginning of a beautiful, renewed life.”


Frosted Gingerbread Cookies

This is an adapted recipe from a 1796 cookbook called "American Cookery" by Amelia Simmons. This recipe is similar to her "Molasses Gingerbread Cakes".

Course Dessert
Keyword Cookies
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 16 minutes
Servings 100 cookies
Calories 89 kcal

Ingredients

Cookies

  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup shortening
  • 2 3/4 cups sugar divided
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 4 cups sifted flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons ground ginger

Frosting

  • 1 cup confectioner's sugar
  • 1/4 cup whole milk

Instructions

Cookies

  1. Preheat the oven to 375℉ and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Adjust the oven rack to the middle as you will only bake on sheet at a time.

  2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.

  3. Put 3/4 cup of sugar in another bowl and set aside.

  4. In a large mixing stand with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the shortening. Slowly beat in 2 cups of sugar. Do this by small spoonfuls and beat until light and fluffy.

  5. Beat in the eggs and molasses until well blended. Then slowly, by large spoonfuls, beat in the flour mixture until just blended. The batter will be very soft, and that's okay.

  6. Make 1" balls from the batter and roll in the sugar in the bowl. Then place them on the baking sheet, about 3 inches apart. Once you have filled a baking sheet, use a glass with a floured bottom to gently press down each cookie–just a bit, not all the way to the pan. They will spread the rest of the way on their own.

  7. Bake for 12-16 minutes, depending on how chewy or hard you like your cookies. Remove the tray from the oven and rest on a baking rack. Allow the cookies to cool on the tray for 8 minutes before removing them to another baking rack. Bake 1 rack at a time, repeating this process until all the dough is used up.

Frosting

  1. Sift the confectioner's sugar into a small bowl. Stir in enough milk to make a stiff icing, not too thin but not too thick. Frost the cookies at will, using a knife or a pastry bag.

    You can also color the frosting with your choice of food colorings.


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