Prepare for the Holidays

Nine years ago, my friend Sam Beall called me early one December morning. The previous Summer, I had created a kids cooking school at Blackberry Farm. It was a huge hit, so we decided to do it again over Thanksgiving.

This time, the emphasis was on a gingerbread house workshop and holiday menus. Sam said we have had such success with your kids cooking classes, we would like you to come back and teach over Christmas. I wasn’t sure how to respond. I was very excited, but my thought was, “I can’t be away from home and family over Christmas."

I called my mom and told her I’d been invited to teach at Blackberry, but I was going to kindly pass as I did not want to miss our traditional family Christmas Eve. She immediately told me not to pass up this incredible offer and advised me to “prepare differently."

For my son Martin, who was 8 at the time, I wanted our Blackberry holiday away from home to feel as cozy and familiar as home. I began to think about the special environment I wanted to create. Martin is now 19, and there have been many Blackberry Christmas holidays. The two of us have shared special touches from home that I started that first year and have now become traditions.

A small tree with lights and some of our favorite ornaments is always waiting for us. I send presents ahead so they are under the tree, and when he was young we never failed to write Santa Claus so he would know exactly where to find Martin on Christmas Eve.

Our Christmas holidays at Blackberry have been magical! Martin and I have the Christmas holidays you read about in stories of bygone days. I am not in the car, in the mall or grocery store waiting in long lines. I am busy making Christmas cookies and holiday treats with families, listening to Christmas music and teaching classes on “Sweet Treats for Santa” and “How to Prepare a Cozy Holiday Breakfast."

When I'm not cooking, I may find myself sitting in front of the fire in the Hickory playing Merry Christmas Bingo or reading Christmas stories with a group of children. Christmas Day is spent making a gingerbread hotel with all ages from 2 to 80 years old.

In order to spend Christmas at Blackberry Farm and maximize the holiday season in my own Mississippi home, I begin a Christmas checklist in the Fall. My planning includes:

• Creating my family and friends' gift list
• Choosing a Christmas card and updating the mailing list
• Ordering Christmas wrapping paper, bows and tins for Christmas fudge and cookies
• Blocking out days on the calendar to bake and build gingerbread houses
• Shopping for one or two new special Christmas ornaments
• Scheduling a date for mailing gifts
• Organizing my favorite holiday recipes so I can stock my pantry and be prepared on a moment's notice to have friends stop by

The holidays are a fun time and can be enjoyed more with a little planning. I hope you join us for a Blackberry Christmas!

– Helen DeFrance, Children's Cookbook Author