I caught myself humming along to Jingle Bell Rock at the grocery yesterday. Then I realized, WTF, it's November 11th, and it's 60 degrees outside. It is not Christmas. I didn't even realize it was a Christmas song until I was half way through it. I felt tricked; how dare you make me get into the Christmas spirit before I'm ready. And then I felt very receptive, or one might say paranoid, to the actions of everyone around me. Almost like the Truman Show when Truman starts to suspect that something is not right. Grocery stockers were filling the freezer cases with pre-made pumpkin pies. Shelves were being stocked with Christmas themed giant bags of candy. Christmas versions of everything possible were being displayed: Red and green tortilla chips, Christmas themed pre-packaged Rice Krispy treats, boxes of stuffing mix with holiday images, cans of gravy on the first display as you walk into the store. Depression kicked in pretty bad for me at that moment, that pit in my stomach like someone just broke the news that Santa isn't real.
My grandmother used to spend two full days making pies. There would be a table just for pie. Pecan pie, blueberry pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie. Pie was special. Pie was made with love. Pie was made with thoughts of family in mind. How can pie be special if I buy it in the freezer section on sale for $4.99 and leave it on the counter to thaw?
I know there is the argument, why waste all of that time to make a pie when you can just buy one for the same price? Yes, I agree, time is valuable. Making pie may not be the most exciting thing in ones life. Is that not the point though? To hand someone a homemade pie is to say to them, you are worth my time.
When everything is pre-packaged, pre-made, and in general thoughtless all around you - how can you make the Holidays special?
I challenge everyone this Holiday season to really make something special. Be it a pie, a handmade gift, or a dish to pass made completely from scratch. Let's get back to what matters.
Love it. I decided earlier this year I was going to try to make my first from scratch pie. My goal is to make two pies this year.
ReplyDeleteTwo pies seems like an attainable goal. I've found homemade pie is never as 'pretty' as pre-made store pie. Just a reminder that life isn't perfect, but when you look past the imperfections it's pretty damn tasty.
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