Every good Christmas tale says the Christmas spirit is made up of love, joy and magic – and every good cook knows love, joy and magic begin in the kitchen. That’s why I’ve compiled the best recipes for cooking up the taste of Christmastime – as well as the best Christmas song pairings for an ideal holiday baking playlist. 

Rudolph Noses

Song pairing: “Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer” by Kacey Musgraves 

Festive, simple and delicious, these three-ingredient treats look like little Rudolph noses. 

Peppernuts 

Song pairing: “Oh Holy Night” by Céline Dion

Peppernuts, or “pfeffernüsse” as German-speaking communities call them, are nut-sized spiced cookies traditionally baked at Christmastime by Mennonites. I have many fond memories of rolling out skinny logs of peppernut dough and cutting them into tiny cookies with my Mennonite family. Anise oil gives peppernuts a similar flavor to black licorice, so if you do not like black licorice omit the anise oil. 

The Best Iced Sugar Cookies

Song pairing: “Cold December Night” by Michael Bublé

The key to shaped sugar cookies is to make sure your dough is extremely cold before cutting and baking the cookies. This keeps your shapes from spreading. Adding almond extract into the dough also takes these sugar cookies up a notch.

For icing both sugar cookies and gingerbread cookies, I like to combine a small bit of water with a lot of powdered sugar until it reaches my desired consistency. There’s no need to get fancy with the icing – the cookie should be able to hold its own. 

Gingerbread Cookies

Song pairing: “Heaven and Earth” by Leslie Odom Jr. 

Nothing tastes more like the holidays than a soft, spiced gingerbread cookie. Adding details with white icing gives these cookies a classic, rustic look that will be sure to impress – that is, if you get time to admire these cookies before they’ve been gobbled up. 

Gingerbread House

Song pairing: “Candy Cane Lane” by Sia

I stumbled across this video by Tasty a few years ago for a perfect gingerbread house, and I have to say it has all the secrets to a no-fail cookie home. I have followed the video’s instructions for the past two years and have ended up with perfect, beautiful gingerbread houses – which is no small feat. 

The best part of a gingerbread house is the decorating. I like to add pretzel logs for a winter cabin look and frost sugar cones with green icing to make pine trees. 

Peanut Clusters

Song pairing: “This Christmas” by Ben Rector 

You cannot go wrong with chocolate and peanuts. These simple treats keep well in the freezer, so go ahead and make a big batch. They make for perfect holiday gifts for neighbors, friends, the mailman – really anyone, sans those with a peanut allergy.

2 pounds white chocolate

3 cups dark chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ pounds salted peanuts

Directions:

Slowly melt white chocolate and chocolate chips in the top section of a double boiler. When completely melted, stir in vanilla. In a large mixing bowl, pour in salted peanuts and then stir in the hot chocolate mixture. Drop clumps the size of small cookies on waxed paper to cool until hardened. 

Cracker Toffee

Song pairing: “Santa Tell Me” by Ariana Grande 

Another perfect Christmas gift is this simple and addictive toffee. Made from saltine crackers, this Christmas dessert perfectly balances salty and sweet.

Ingredients: 

Saltine crackers 

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

6 ounces of milk chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Place a layer of saltine crackers over the entire surface of foil. Combine sugar and butter in a saucepan and boil for three minutes. Pour hot syrup over saltines. Bake at 400 degrees for five minutes. Sprinkle the hot surface with chocolate chips and spread the chocolate evenly as it melts. Sprinkle chopped nuts on top. Cool and break into pieces. 

Cheese Fondue 

Song pairing: “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” by Ingrid Michaelson and Will Chase

Not a sweets person? In my family, we make cheese fondue every Christmas Eve. Sourdough bread, tart green apples, carrot sticks and summer sausage all pair well with this fondue, which uses gruyere cheese and cherry brandy. 

Ingredients: 

½ pound imported Swiss cheese

½ pound gruyere cheese

2 tablespoons cornstarch 

1 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon cherry brandy

½ teaspoon mustard 

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Directions: Shred cheeses and coat with cornstarch. Heat wine and lemon juice to a gentle simmer. Gradually add the cheeses. Once smooth, stir in brandy, mustard and nutmeg. 

When it comes to Christmas, there’s no place more nostalgic than the kitchen. Food can remind us of some of the best memories of Christmases past, so recreating family recipes is a great way to get into the spirit. Turn on some good Christmas music, pull out the cookbooks and get baking.

The remenants of the blizzard on a tree outside Semple Hall. (Photo courtesy of Harper Vincent)

As soon as the leftover turkey is wrapped up in the fridge and the dishes are washed I am in full-blown Christmas mode.

Are you still not feeling the holiday spirit? No worries – I tested some holiday activities over Thanksgiving break and ranked the best ways to turn any Scrooge into a Santa.

Each Christmas activity I have ranked on my own personal spirit Spirit Scale:

1. Scrooge (pre-spiritual visitations, of course) – This activity makes me want to say “Bah, humbug.”
2. Walter Hobbs – Might be on the naughty list, but there is still hope. After all, Walter Hobbs is the father of Buddy the Elf.
3. Pine Tree –Borderline Christmasy. Add some ornaments and it becomes festive. Lose the ornaments and it’s just a tree.
4. Elf – Basically the assistant manager of Christmas.
5. Santa – The maximum Christmas spirit possible.

Christmas Shopping – Rank: Pine Tree

I love to buy gifts for my family and browsing all the new merchandise stores have put out. Giving gifts you know will be well-received is such an exciting feeling. I prefer to only shop in store for presents since brick and mortar stores play Christmas music and provide the full holiday experience.

Frustrations such as parking during the busy holiday season and not being able to find the perfect gift are factors that knocked shopping down to a pine tree.

Drinking a Peppermint Mocha – Rank: Elf

Holiday drinks have arrived at Starbucks and I had to go get myself my favorite – a classic peppermint mocha. I usually prefer to support local coffee shops, but there is something unique about the Starbucks peppermint mocha. The chocolate flavor is richened by the espresso and the cool peppermint syrup makes the drink taste like hot liquid December. The beautiful holiday print cups are essentially wrapping paper on a drinkable Christmas present.

Don’t like coffee? Try a peppermint hot chocolate instead. It will be sure to warm your heart and lift your spirits.

Picking out a Christmas Tree – Rank: Elf

My family and I pick out a fresh Christmas tree every year, and it always puts me in the Christmas spirit. I recommend visiting a tree farm even if it isn’t feasible for you to take one home. The smell of pine needles rivals the scent of gingerbread baking and seeing all those trees anxious to be adorned in ornaments will fill you with joy.

Listening to Christmas Music – Rank: Santa

This is the only guaranteed way to turn a Scrooge into a Santa. However, Christmas music must be listened to properly to ensure maximum benefits.

Never listen to Christmas music on the radio – it will be bad. I recommend creating a playlist with the type of music you listened to growing up. There’s nothing like nostalgia to awaken your holiday spirit. The stereo at my house has always cycled between Amy Grant, Céline Dion and Jaci Velasquez CDs so those artists are heavily represented in my FaLaLolidays Spotify playlist.

“Peppermint Winter” by Owl City and “Puppies are Forever” by Sia are two more contemporary favorites that I add. You also can’t go wrong with anything by Michael Bublé or Pentatonix.

Watching a Christmas Movie – Rank: Santa

I was fortunate enough to get to watch my all time favorite Christmas movie in the middle of a blizzard. There are few things more Christmasy than being snuggled into blankets while “A Christmas Story” plays and the snow falls outside.

My other favorite Christmas movies are “Elf” and “Christmas with the Kranks.” Most people can quote “Elf” but few have seen “Christmas with the Kranks.” I recommend watching both this December – I sure will.

Christmas is about taking a break from the hustle of life and appreciating spending time with family and friends. I love to keep up traditions because they remind me of past holidays spent with the people I love. No matter what you do to get yourself in the Christmas spirit, doing it with those you care about will make it much more effective.

Photo courtesy of Harper Vincent. 

A cup of Christmas cocoa.

I am definitely one of those people who considers it the holiday season as soon as November begins, and this year was no different.

I broke out my heavier sweaters the day the temperature dropped, recklessly layering up only to suffer in Jewell Hall’s warm classrooms.

Nevertheless, it was worth it.

I love the copious amounts of Christmas decorations. I adore Christmas trees and lights. This time of year, I drink a lot of hot chocolate and eat mince pies.

My favorite part of pre-holiday celebrations, though, is bad Christmas movies.

I have a particular favorite. Several, actually, depending on my mood. There’s something particularly endearing and awful about Christmas movies in general, but the worst – the most cliché, random, over-the-top – are my absolute favorite.

Part of the appeal lies in the sheer amusement I get out of watching bad Christmas films. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a fan of the classics, like “The Grinch” or “Home Alone,” but those obscure Christmas movies at the bottom of Netflix or Hulu’s suggestions? Those are the best.

I can’t completely explain why they appeal to me beyond their capacity to entertain.

Maybe it’s refreshing and comforting to see something embellish the Christmas experience? Or maybe it’s nice to see alternate realities where the holidays are joyful gatherings unimpeded by the overarching dread of discussing or considering our nation’s political state.

Maybe it’s really not that deep.

Regardless, if you’re getting sick of the cold, or reluctant to leave your dorm, and you don’t want to face the heaping piles of assignments on your desk, I highly recommend watching cheesy Christmas movies.

The best movie-watching experience for these, in my opinion, is with the lights off, wearing Christmas sweaters and drinking hot chocolate. Ideally, there’d be no classwork to consider, but who am I kidding? Jewell stops for no one, not even the snow.

If you’re looking for some good hot chocolate, Target has an excellent selection wherein you can find, among other brands, Starbucks hot chocolate. The store also features a range of gaudy Christmas sweaters, perfect for setting the mood –and for hoarding sweaters, if you’re anything like me.

There are plenty of bad Christmas movies out there ready for your enjoyment – and you don’t have to do much to find them.

If you’re looking for an absolutely atrocious holiday film, I’d recommend “The Back-Up Bride,” featured on Amazon Prime. If you’re a student, you can get six months free for the first time you sign up!

Photo courtesy of Italian Sons & Daughters of America.