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"Those who don't believe in MAGIC will never find it."
— Roald Dahl
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THOUGH NOT A SEAMSTRESS, MY MOM MADE ME THIS HOLIDAY APRON WHEN I WAS A CHILD
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Holiday time has me reflecting on the idea of magic in childhood. This year feels less about presents and things, and more about finding ways to surround ourselves with love. Many of us, myself included, will be away from our families or the groups we’ve spent the holidays with in the past, so there’s never been a better time to consider creating our own magic.
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CHRISTMAS CHINA MAKES MEALS MAGICAL
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My mother created magic throughout my childhood. She filled our lives with music, love, and laughter. I grew up believing in Santa, and I am so grateful for that experience. Even when I was old enough to realize that Santa may have been different than what I had thought all my life, my mother absolutely never gave up the dream. I asked her repeatedly if Santa was real, but she never--and I mean never-- said that he wasn’t. I often think, “Either there’s a Santa, or adults around the world are conspiring to have us believe that there is, And for me, either way, that’s a miracle.”
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THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT HAVING THE PLATES I GREW
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Without discussion, little by little my sisters and I seamlessly and organically took over the filling of the stockings on Christmas morning--with jars of olives, books of stamps, and other small, thoughtful items—and when I think about that, it touches me so deeply. The joy of Christmas evolved into filling the stockings together, as much for each other as for our parents.
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LITTLE TOUCHES LIKE THIS MAKE CHILDHOOD MAGICAL
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As my sisters and I got married and had our own kids, we’d bring them to my parents’ house for Easter brunch, and that meant backyard Easter egg hunts and five-foot-tall magic wands and the big kids helping the little kids. She absolutely loved creating magic for her grandchildren, and I recall literally dozens of ways she did that for others throughout her life.
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FOR EASTER...CAN YOU TELL THAT FOOD WAS THE FOCUS?
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My mother created a band that played joyful music and entertained wherever, whenever, and as often as they could. They were pretty much stars in the nursing home circuit. From the time I was eight years old to the present, and even though she’s gone, the band and band daughters’ annual holiday luncheon continues. This year we celebrated our 50th anniversary!
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THIS IS THE WAY MY MOM SERVED UP JOY
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My mom also taught me that magic means following your lifelong passion. She was certainly not the most talented musician ever, but she had a level of passion and drive to play music. That love led her to teach music to at-risk youth, seniors, and anyone who wanted to pick up a ukulele with her.
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OLD SCHOOL FABULOUSNESS--GUESS WHICH SISTER IS ME!
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I am not a gal who excels at washing dishes. It seems like such a chore. But when I was a child, my mother made doing the dishes so much fun, turning it into a game: “Everybody pick up 20 items, starting now! Let’s have a dishwashing contest! Let’s pretend Elizabeth Taylor (or the president, or the pope) is coming for dinner! How do we want the kitchen to look? What kind of manners do we want to have for her?” She created a world of fun, and I immersed in it. It's a bit ironic that years later, I created a pottery line that I encourage people to hand-wash!
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A CLASSIC CUP MAKES THE SEASON SO MUCH SWEETER
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Many of us feel that magic is in short supply this year, so in this issue, I want to remind us all how truly simple it can be. It doesn’t have to be a holiday to make magic! Every day we have the opportunity to find ways to create magic, not only in our own lives but as a gift to others. This week I’ve included some people from the nocrumbsleft kitchen, plus my own Lucy, right below, to share their thoughts about magic.”
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RATHER THAN A TRADITIONAL CEREMONY, WE HAD AN OUTDOOR BLESSING FOR LUCY, AND WHO BETTER TO BLESS A NEWBORN BABY THAN TWO LOVING GRANDMOTHERS?
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In this episode, personal chef Aubrey Johansen and I discuss our passion for cooking, rainbows, the evolution of queer culture on social media, trying new spice profiles, leaps of faith, and trusting your gut. A wizard in the kitchen, Aubrey shares her meal-planning process for professional athletes with nutritional goals and her secret to meditating. What’s not to love about a gal who calls me “the Oprah of the food blogging world”? |
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This episode is in partnership with:
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LUCY'S TAKE: MAGIC IN THE MUNDANE
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LUCY ALWAYS HAD A HUGE APPETITE FOR DECORATING CHRISTMAS TREES
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My parents have taught me so much about magic. For starters, they made the holidays come alive: from leaving long, handwritten notes from Santa and the Tooth Fairy in calligraphy (Patrick and I would do comparative handwriting analysis to try to catch them, but we never did) to throwing themed parties with scavenger hunts and goodie bags.
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TAKING A CUE FROM MY MOM WITH THE MUSIC, LOVE, AND LAUGHTER
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Perhaps what’s most magical is how they made the regular and un-fun parts of life so spectacular. My mom would make a healthful soup but name it “Special Lucy Soup” so I would eat it, or call my dressy jacket the “Kelly Clarkson Jacket” (my idol) so I wouldn’t wear a hockey jersey to a nice gathering.
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WHEN WE SAY "CAR WASH THEME PARTY," THEY WASHED MY CAR...AND I FOUND IT MAGICAL!
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We had songs and jingles for all occasions, from going to the back of a restaurant kitchen to sing the chef a thank-you song, to chanting to the angels every time we needed help finding a parking spot (I still do this).
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NEIGHBORHOOD STREET PARADE! MAKING MAGIC ON A HOLIDAY ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET
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I’m so tremendously lucky that my parents made it a priority to surrounded me with such obvious magic. As an adult, I realize I have a choice to find magic in the everyday: the way the air smells after it rains, or the miracle that is a fresh cup of coffee in the morning. Every day, there are big and small ways to see magic, and it’s up to us to find them.
Lucy Turner Hartman, Storyteller and Actor
@itsthelucyshow
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ZACH ON THE RIGHT, WITH SISTER ALLISON AND BROTHER SETH, CHRISTMAS 1983
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I don’t remember even one magical thing happening around the holidays when I was growing up. These days, with my dad’s Alzheimer’s progressing, I’m cherishing the magic of spending time with my family, decorating cookies and making sweets with my mom—all the simple ways we are able to enjoy being together. I have learned to transcend the lifetime of accumulated anger I’ve had toward my father. Life is simply too short. Everyone has their dysfunctions, and you just have to make your own magic and look beyond the old triggers to see what magic you have access to in your present life.
Zachary Sherman, Director of Operations
@zach_attack_chicago
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MOLLY'S GROWN COUSINS ARE COMMITTED TO HAVING FUN
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Typically, I spend my holidays with my big extended family. Even though we couldn’t have our usual ruthless game of Secret Santa or our arguments that get way too serious while playing football, we’ve stayed connected. We started a book club, and recently we had a random FaceTime chain in which we called one another to see how many people would pick up out of the blue (the answer: 26). I used to worry that we would reach an age where all this might stop, because people would have other priorities that came first. With all the kids grown and spread across the country, everyone still makes it a first priority. I can’t think of anything more magical than that.
Molly Scullion, Shop Manager
@mollyscullion |
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RACHEL, LILY (@_FISKERS), AND GRANDMA BOBBIE
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The word ‘magic’ is not something I’d attribute to either of my parents. Did they create magic for me? Not so much. But as an older child, visiting my friends, hanging out in their homes and eating their moms’ food, I realized my mom was both an exceptional cook and a perfect place-setter. Her cookies looked like they came from the bakery and were always crisp when they were supposed to be crisp and moist when they were supposed to be moist. They stood out on a cookie tray and looked exactly like the professional photo in the cookbook or magazine. Even when she merely cut and plated fruit, it looked beautiful and tasted better (“oh, just a squeeze of lemon,” I can imagine her saying). To this day, when someone cuts up fruit for me, I feel loved. As an older adult with a child of my own, I realized, only after my mom’s death, that what had appeared to me to be perfectionism was actually the LOVE my mom put into her food.
Rachel Fiske
@therachely1
Ugoddessyoga.com |
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As a gal who likes the idea of making everyday eating feel special, I developed these beautiful platters, which are the perfect size for weeknight dinner.
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I’ve always loved cooking. I grew up standing at my grandma’s stove watching her cook. This book has given me such a passion for creating.
Rebecca González, Enthusiast
@rebeccaglo
San Antonio, Texas
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If you want to be featured here with the cookbook, DM Teri and let her know.
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This week we are giving away Two Made In Nakiri Knives on the post.
To enter, click here to the post, be sure to like it, make a comment and follow the directions on the post. Good Luck!
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Do you know about our Santa Fund? We understand that the pottery is accessible for some, but not for others. This year, between the nocrumbsleft team and the Crumbles who participated, we were able to gift about 30 Crumbles who otherwise couldn't afford the pottery. To get involved and to chip in any amount, please do so here.
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