Welcome to our newest feature, Journey through Christmases Past. This series is a nostalgic celebration of the holidays we all remember...
- The history and traditions of the holiday.
- The décor that filled our homes.
- The toys that defined each decade.
- The television and movie shows that brightened the season.
- The outfits we adored (and the ones we definitely didn’t).
Welcome back to Journey through Christmases Past. I had so much fun sharing some of the toys from my childhood, maybe we should cover some of the foods from my childhood holidays as well.
One of the wonderful things about the holidays is welcoming extended family into your home and sitting around the dinner table laughing and catching up. As a child, I didn't realize what a blessing it was that so much of our extended family remained local, and that our family in Canada was close enough to pay Massachusetts an occasional visit.
Like many families, ours traditionally cooked the same foods and had the same treats and confections each year. My mother made an amazing turkey with mashed potatoes. We had butternut squash and turnips (my dad's favorite). We served French meat stuffing as the dressing. I was an adult before I even realized bread stuffing existed.
Photo credit: tasteofhome.com
French meat stuffing combines potato, beef, pork, onion, butter, brown sugar, and broth, along with a variety of herbs and spices to create a more savory than sweet stuffing. My oldest sister shared her recipe with me--which is said to be close to our mother's--but here is one from Taste of Home that you can try. Let me know what you think if you decide to make it.
I'm certain every home in the 70s and 80s had a bowl of shelled nuts in the family room for guests to snack on while they waited for dinner to be served.
Photo credit: 80s Kids Rule Facebook page
Our silver bowl of nuts made an appearance every major holiday--Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, but we never had shelled nuts or saw the bowl otherwise.
Another holiday treat was buttermints. Now, I didn't know the name of this delectable, melt-in-your-mouth peppermint until a few years ago, but they still sell them.
Photo credit: r/Nostalgia on Reddit
I also found a recipe to make them on The First Year blog. Click here to check the recipe out.
One treat I had a love/hate relationship with was ribbon candy. Loved the look and the joy of displaying the ribbons on a plate, but the candy was hard to get out of your back teeth.
Photo credit: candylandstore.com
This sticky-sweet candy, meant to look like ribbons you wrapped gifts with, was originally from Europe, with the crimps being handmade. As Shari Goldhagen states in her article for Harry & David's The Table, a Massachusetts dentist invented the first mechanical candy crimper. You can read the full article here.
One confection from my childhood that is still seen in my home today is Thin Mints.
Photo credit: candyaddict.com
I have loved mint confections for as long as I can remember, and it was not a holiday unless Haviland Thin Mints were set out for after-dinner snacking at my childhood house. According to this Wikipedia article, they were originally produced in Minnesota and have origins going back to at least World War II. Our local Big Y sells a version of these creamy mint treats under its brand, and I know Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming when I see them out near the registers.
What are some holiday foods and confections you remember from your childhood?
