Silver bells, silver bells,
It's Christmas time in the city
Ring-a-ling, (ring-a-ling) hear them ring (ting-a-ling)
Soon it will be Christmas day ……………

Yes my dear friends soon it is going to be that time of the year when you are going to be surrounded by friends and family… gifts and greetings… reds and greens…. and cakes and carols…the joys of Christmas.

Come December and you just can’t stop smiling as you begin to hear the peaceful Silent Night playing softly giving you the feeling of the holiness of Christ. As a child, I clearly remember watching the crib. Everything about it was romantic and powerful: The poverty and majesty of it, the glaring disparity between animals and angels, shepherds and the star that shone so bright.

Christmas marks the season of bright lights and colourful gifts. I wonder if Santa still comes along riding on his sleigh with his bag of goodies of if he has tied up with a delivery partner!!!!!!!! ;-) One can’t wait to hang out their big pair of socks and wait for Santa to drop in his gift for being good.

What is Christmas without carols and jingles.

What is Christmas without greetings and mingles.

What is Christmas without pudding -o- plum.

What is Christmas without raisins -n- rum ?

Blessed are those hands that made them!!!! I recall the bakeries lined up with ladies accompanied by their children, waiting to get their buttery nankhatais and fruity cakes to get into the ovens. Each family recipe different from the another, passed on from one generation to the other. The aromas of baking and the varieties of essence make it the perfect time to spend with your loved ones and prepare for the big day.

And since Christmas is just around the corner, let’s talk a little about the traditional Christmas cake.

History says that the traditional Christmas cake began as humble plum porridge in English families. A day of fasting was generally followed up by preparing this plum porridge on Christmas Eve. Over a period of time, the pudding got richer and was enhanced by dried fruit, spices and sweet syrups, and eventually it turned into Christmas pudding. The humble plum porridge was originally made with oatmeal, which was eventually removed in the 16th century and replaced by butter, wheat flour and eggs. These ingredients gave a ‘batter’ like consistency and helped hold the mixture together, resulting in a boiled plum cake when cooked. Richer families with ovens began baking these cakes for Christmas, adding seasonal dried fruit and spices soaked in rum. The spices represented the exotic eastern spices brought by the Wise Men and this cake later became known as ‘Christmas cake’.

And before you jump to the recipe page to see my version of the Christmas Cake and Christmas Mulled Wine, just like Jose Feliciano would say, “Feliz Navidad, from the bottom of my heart”.