Ghosts of Christmas Past
My last Christmas with Jane in 2009. That Christmas tree behind us rotated so you could see all the ornaments!
My sister Jane knew how to celebrate Christmas better than anyone I’ve known. Her house was chockfull of goofy nutcrackers, a Christmas tree full of crazy Hallmark ornaments that moved or made noises, and a sprawling Snow Village laid out across half of the living room of her old Cream City brick house.
Christmas Eve was about noshing on appetizers, enjoying her homemade eggnog with cream she got from the local cheese factory, and watching old Christmas movies like her favorite — “Meet Me in St. Louis.” It was magical.
When she died of cancer in 2010, Christmas changed for her sons and me. It’s always tinged with sadness now, but we keep some old traditions like binging on old movies. We also made new traditions. One of them is this Hot Gingerbread Punch that I make for Christmas Eve. This was originally published in Bon Appétit in 2010 and it’s a favorite of my nephew Andy. We don’t sell Guinness at the Market, but we do have Gosling’s if you need a dark rum.
Ingredients
3 cups water
2 12-ounce bottles Guinness stout
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
12 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
3 whole cardamom pods, cracked
1 orange
1 1/2 cups dark rum (such as Gosling's)
Lightly sweetened whipped cream
Ground cinnamon
Step 1: Combine first 7 ingredients in large saucepan. Using vegetable peeler, remove peel from orange in strips (orange part only) and add to stout mixture. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer over medium-low heat 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 15 minutes. Strain liquid into bowl; discard solids in strainer. Cover and refrigerate punch at least 8 hours or overnight.
Step 2: Combine chilled punch and rum in large saucepan and bring to simmer over medium-low heat. Pour hot punch into small teacups or large demitasse cups. Top with whipped cream and cinnamon.
Whatever your holiday traditions, whether it’s an elaborate meal or Chinese takeout, I hope it brings you delicious peace and joy.