We had our 8th meeting to enjoy the early Christmas vibe, and Emese suggested baking Christmas cookies at her place. It was snowing that day, creating the perfect atsmosphere to get into the holiday spirit.
Since the cookie dough needed an hour to rest, Emese prepared it in advance. She made two types: original and almond-flavored. However, they got mixed while baking in the oven, so we couldn’t tell them apart.
While Emese handled the cookie dough, Melina brought sugar for icing, and I brought Glögi, a Finnish winter drink. They mentioned having similar drinks in Germany and France, called Glühwein, and vin chaud respectively. It was my first time trying this type of mulled wine, and I was surprised to find that it’s served warm. It exceeded my expectation, and was so delicious – perfect for the winter season.
The process of baking Christmas cookies was incredibly fun. We used cookie molds shaped like a bear and star. We also got creative and made our own Christmas-themed designs, such as Santa Claus, snowmen, envelopes, pretzels, houses, hearts, and even the initial of our name: E, M, M, and Y.
We baked while listening to Christmas carols. The carols were so famous that all of us knew the songs. After singing well-known tunes, we each shared carols form our own languages. The French carols sounded like opera, while Korean carols felt like K-pop idol songs, which was quite fun to notice.
In Korea, Christmas isn’t celebrated as a particularly special day, and there aren’t any specific foods associated with it. In contrast, France and Germany treat it as a major holiday with unique family traditions. I think this is a wonderful custom, and I envy the fact that they have their own Christmas trees at home. I only had one when I was very young.
Baking Christmas cookies was the perfect way to enjoy an early Christmas celebration. I’m so excited to spend Christmas in Europe this year, especially visiting Christmas markets and trying the festive food!
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