A week or so ago I mentioned on my personal
Facebook page that I had just finished designing my Christmas card for this
year. A lot of people wanted to see it, and I think they were probably
expecting a lot more than what I actually did. I went for sweet and
sentimental, with a nod towards Jim, a man I think about every single day. I
wanted to share something that was a part of his life for as long as I knew him,
with all of his family and friends.
A number of years ago I did a blog post about Jim‘s fruitcake. You can read it here. This was something that
he did every year, and it was as much a part of Christmas as the presents and
the tree. I still have a large wedge of the last fruitcake that he made in
December 2015 in the back of the fridge. I just can’t throw it away. This year
my number two son, Andrew, and I decided that we were going to revive Jim's
tradition and use his recipe to make a fruitcake to share with family and
friends. I thought that perhaps I would be able to finally part with that last
wedge of Jim's cake, but instead I put it into the freezer. When I fall off my
perch, one of my sons can throw it away then, but I just cannot get rid of it.
So here is my Christmas card for this year, the front, the interior, and the
back. I’m happy with the way that it turned out, and I know I am going to
delight so many people with this card. (UPDATE: I just received a message from one of Jim's nephews who said the card brought tears to his eyes.) The photo on the back of the card is of our first married Christmas in 1995. What happy days.
6 comments:
I think it looks like a lovely card, and I love fruitcake, so off I go to examine the recipe! I've only made fruitcake once and I'm sure the recipients tossed it into the trash...I usually order it from Collin Street Bakery and it's more like sticky candy than cake. Maybe I need to do something different!
I am so happy to know that other families have a fruitcake-baking tradition! I started baking them using an old James Beard recipe for my fruitcake-loving mom decades ago so that she would not have to settle for those dry grocery store abominations. I did not realize that my three siblings were also enjoying the fruitcake, until my mom passed away and I stopped baking them. My siblings begged me to restart the family tradition, so now I am required to bake three fruitcakes every year instead of just one! And I don't even like fruitcake! I tried at one point to substitute good-quality mail order versions, but they all prefer mine - I think it has something to do with the generous amount of Grand Marnier with which I anoint my fruitcakes. 😄 (Jim's recipe looks similar to mine, only his makes a larger cake and uses less liquor!)
Pattie, that's the sweetest card I have ever seen - it gave me goosebumps. My mom is struggling this year, my dad has only been gone 6 months and she has zero Christmas spirit. She's struggling to just get through, day after day. I feel so bad for her, wish she would have stuck around here, but she wanted to get down to Florida and away from the cold. Hugs to you at the holidays, I'm sure it's a really tough time for you. xo
What a lovely testament to your late hubby. Mom always loved fruitcake, and I bet she would have loved this one. It actually looks very good!
What a beautiful card and a delicious looking fruit cake. I've never made fruit cake but thought about making it this yr. My Mom made it every year and mailed me a fruit each yr., even that last year of her life. I will keep Jim's recipe and if I decide to make it, I'll try his.
What a sweet sentimental card, Pattie. I loved reading about your memories and how you're holding onto that last piece of fruitcake. That's what we do sometimes. In my freezer, I have a little replica of my late beloved that someone had made of him to put onto his retirement cake.
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