Imagine this: It’s a rainy December day, school just ended and you finally arrive home soaking wet after the 20-minute walk. While you would normally be bothered by walking in the rain, you are listening to Christmas music, so it feels more like a Hallmark movie than an inconvenience. You unlock the front door and smell the best delight in the world — cookies.
One of my favorite things about the holidays is all the unhealthy desserts I get to consume. With my 15 years of experience, I would consider myself to be an expert in holiday confections — so buckle up as I walk you through my winter wonderland, full of 12-inch tall sugar cookie-trees and decadent, homemade chocolates.
Sugar cookie Christmas trees are too pretty to eat
Throughout elementary school, my mom would make a sugar cookie Christmas tree almost every year. It consisted of 21 cookies, each a slightly different size. With sugar crystal sprinkles on top, they stacked together to form a Christmas tree.
While the product is beautiful and time-consuming, my family tends to admire this treat rather than eat it. I do enjoy the cookie, though, because it takes me back to being a little kid when I helped pick out my favorite colored sprinkles for decoration.
Three-year-old Evangelina admires the sugar cookie trees, desperate to eat one.
Peppermint bark is an icy delicacy
The peppermint bark from Williams Sonoma is always a favorite in my family. Every year, we either purchase it, or my grandmother gifts it to us for Christmas. It consists of a layer of milk chocolate coated with white chocolate and peppermint pieces. While this treat definitely disappears the quickest in my house, I think it can be a little too minty. Other flavors of the bark I have tried include Sea Salt and Dark Chocolate, but they have too many flavors at once for my taste.
Although not particular to the Williams Sonoma peppermint bark, one of my favorite peppermint bark memories has to do with one of my best friends. Last year, during December, she decided to make her own peppermint bark. While it was not the highest quality or the best-tasting, it was the only thing that got me through my first-period class that day.
Homemade chocolates are a labor of love
Although chocolates are not exclusive to the holidays, my mom and her friend typically embark on their homemade chocolate journey during the holiday season. After hours of effort and a complicated process I don’t completely understand, the results are mouth-watering.
However, I do actually contribute to this process because I help decorate the chocolates. Unfortunately, I do not think my mom or her friend have the energy to make these this year, but I hope they’ll restart the tradition in the future — I’ve been gifting them to my teachers since fifth grade and most of them can agree that these chocolates are delicious.
These chocolates are special to me because they are a huge labor of love — my mom dedicates many hours to making these for our friends and family to enjoy. My personal favorite is dark chocolate with a raspberry filling.
With fillings such as raspberry and salted caramel, milk and dark chocolates prepare to be placed in gift boxes.
Hot chocolate connects me with my Mexican culture
Like most kids, I grew up drinking hot chocolate, but a couple years ago, my life changed forever. In 2021, my mom remade a holiday treat she grew up drinking: Mexican hot chocolate. This drink is a perfect mix of chocolate and cinnamon, which gives it a more interesting flavor palette than regular hot chocolate. Now that I have switched to Mexican hot chocolate, I can never go back.
The two brands that I drink are Ibarra and Abuelita by Nestle. There is some controversy over the Abuelita brand, but my Hispanic mother does not really care. Thankfully for my nostalgic memories, the brand has not successfully been discontinued.
Mexican hot chocolate is now the love of my life and my favorite holiday treat — not only because it tastes good, but also because it makes me feel more connected to my Mexican culture, although my mom considers it “inauthentic”.
My favorite time to drink this is when I get home from school during finals week and feel completely unmotivated to study for my next exam. My mom remembers one night when I stayed up too late studying and made me a cup of Mexican hot chocolate to accompany me while I crammed for my English project. Sipping from a warm mug reminds me of the holidays and how, as soon as I finish this task, I will be living completely in the holiday spirit.
December is one of the most magical times of the year, and these holiday treats add a little flavor to the comfy, positive spirit. As finals week approaches, you will definitely catch me with a Hydro Flask full of Mexican hot chocolate. If you’re looking for a dessert to enjoy over Winter break, maybe try one of my favorites!
