I think it must be something I learned in college or on the NOLS course I took a quarter-century ago, but shit info is best delivered with a dose of sweet. Not exactly a feedback sandwich perse but something to lighten the blow, as it were. This entry this morning is an effort at that.
I am home with the whole crew today. Unexpectedly. Anyone else home with their kids today surprise surprise? So I am gonna use the time out of the car to get my holiday cookie plan in place and I figured I’d share it here for y’all too. We already dipped a few toes in earlier this week with some peppermint bark, to give as gifts and nibble on our own; no doubt we will be wanting to make more within the next week. It got me going in a way that feels cozy and bright and a little more spirited than I have for the last few cycles of holiday. At least, that’s how I feel right now. Or maybe I am just good at forgetting either way. Some sweet to come.
Maple and Eider are home today in response to an email we received from the school district yesterday afternoon followed by a few social media posts that came across my feed last night. I do not have TikTok, BUT ONE OF MY KIDS DOES, which is honestly fine with me. She uses it mostly for art inspiration which in my mind is one of the most positive uses for the apps. She did not see these source posts and I obviously didn’t either and I imagine some of you may have or not. Anyhow. Apparently, some tiktoks went viral encouraging kids to incite in-school violence today, Friday, December 17th. A mass call to action for all of the disgruntled, underserved, gun-loving youth among us to bring weapons to school today and use them, I don’t know, however?
WHAT. THE. FUCK?
Earlier this week marked the 10 year anniversary of the Sandy Hook shootings, which stands out in my heart and memory as one of the singularly most devastating losses of lives that I have ever lived through. I cannot even begin to imagine the unrelenting pain and heartache of those positioned close to that tragedy. And even so, 10 years later, there is no real measure of protection for our children out there other than the repeated shooter drills that they are asked to endure month after month, year and year, resulting in no greater “preparedness” from what I can tell. Rather they have engendered a whole lot of embedded fear and anxiety or something even worse: numbness. In addition to an all too American ideal of take care of yourself because no-one has your back. Sorry kid.
So last night, after deliberating much of the afternoon, Chris and I decided that our kids would stay home today. It is weird to make a call of this sort, because on the one hand you really don’t want to make a big deal out of it and on the other you are like what if I sent my kid today and something did happen??? What the fuck then? Their responses when we told them were different. Maple, often seated pretty close to a measure of anxiety, let it all out, felt her big feelings, and worried about her friends. Eider, in contrast, said this when we told him: Covid has basically been 90% of my life at this point so I guess everything feels normal, even though none of this is. Mouths of babes for real.
A few minutes after 10 when we made the call Maple informed us that she had a big ‘ol text thread from all her friends discussing whether or not anyone was going to school. At least 20 were planning on staying home. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief and felt a little more secure in our decision.
So, today we are all home. Letting them sleep a little longer and then giving them extra snuggles and hugs throughout the day. And also tending, in whatever ways -writing this helps- the brokenness of my own heart over the world that these children have to live in. It is a lot, even on a good day. They contend with the backlash of a poorly managed global pandemic, ongoing climate crisis, and then the unchecked and unregulated gun industry designed to line the pockets of the rich and scare and endanger the young and/or vulnerable.
And so, getting the cookie plan in place. As you do. I try to keep it both familiar and cozy with just a little dab of new each year. I am not a huge fan of frosted sugar cookies, for a whole slew of reasons, but this year I am going to try a new-to-me recipe for the sake of Wilfred getting to mess around with royal icing and see how it goes. Basically, today and this weekend, and the coming weeks are all about my kids getting to be kids. Whatever it takes. For however long. I’ll let you know.
The peppermint bark recipe I have been using for the past dozen or so years is here. But beware, you will fuck this up in the form of a dry heap of unworkable sugar if you use anything other than real white chocolate. A mistake I continue to make year after year with this year perhaps the solitary exception in all that time. Like I have said, slow learner.
It looks like most of these recipes I am sharing today were also shared by me last year in another sweet and salty post. It is good to see some threads of consistency over the course of the years. Phew. As in, nothing new to see here! Anyhow, go ahead and snag the Hamantaschen recipe I use year after year, as well as my older sister’s Korova Chocolate Cookie recipe; a great take on a tasty freezer cookie. We make a lot of both of those, one easy peasy and quick, the other just about as labor-intensive as I can get.
The sugar cookie I am going to play with this season is another Smitten Kitchen recipe. I obviously love her. And am pretty faithful. At any rate, this one caught my attention not solely for the use of the word “UNFUSSY” but also because of how the dough is rolled out before it is chilled which seems gd brilliant to me, and also she has a youtube video of her making them which should help to entice my older assistants. I am pretty excited about these honestly. We shall see…
Whelp, that’s it for now. Hopefully, this day passes by without a hitch and everyone makes it home safe and sound. And while I am positive that hope is nowhere near enough, it is what I have this morning. In addition to the growing list of foundations that I plan on donating a percentage of my commissions to for 2022. Be well friends. Squeeze your people!
*** edited at 10:46 am on 12/17/2021 to say >>>
Maple was just texted by a friend whose parents opted to send her to school today to report that the school is currently locked down. Which is modern speak for there is someone with a weapon in or around the premises. In case you did not know. And before I leap to wondering why the heck some parents sent their kids to school I want to just be clear: I know why. It gets back to the pervasive numbness I mentioned above. I get it. I really do. I feel numb too. Because you give people the same input for long enough, they tune it out. Like the floaters in my eye that my brain blocks from my vision over a long enough stretch of time. That is what is happening here now too. With gun violence in our schools. I mean, did anyone catch the shooting that happened earlier this month in Michigan? Me neither. Because it is so standard, so typical, so daily. We tune it out. Like the rising Covid cases. I mean, do we even care anymore? Just last night Chris was giving me some stats on the current caseload through the state and region and noting that it seems like the true second wave is only now beginning. We are surging past all previous numbers. Because we are over it. Or at least, hella numb to it. I know I am. I mean, I just wrote a post about making a move to start teaching in-person classes again. That’s probably not a great plan. And good lord I would LOVE to have a dinner party soon, ya know? Same goes with the fucking guns in schools. People cannot listen well to what they hear all of the time. And here is the caveat: the real overlords in this situation are banking on that very fact of human nature. In fact, that is the entirety of the hand that they are playing. The status quo has always been and will always be dependent on the slumbering complacency of the people. Of you and me.
So, right now, in this small northern region in Vermont where our local school is in lockdown and all of the local law enforcement have gathered round, it is going to take so much more than hope or prayers or my own selective amnesia. And I wonder, is the school in your town locked down right now too? How many across the country? And also, I wonder, what in god’s name is it gonna take to break the cycle and make a new story and finally WAKE UP to a new world?
Alright, one last thing. And please please please let this be the last thing today. Chris just called me to say that he got the email from the school principal confirming the lockdown and to reiterate that we made the correct call. But so did the parents who sent their kids. I mean, what are they gonna do? It is a privilege to be able to keep our kids home. Honestly, I think the administration and the district made the wrong call having school today. They could have easily gone remote. They know how. And let’s face it, parents need help making decisions when it comes to our kids. We just do! We need the input of the community, whether that is a school community or otherwise. I mean, it is a big reason we send kids to school, to begin with. For input. For guidance. For some help. So, right now, while some of my kids classmates and friends are huddled together under their desks brandishing hydroflasks, and trying to quiet their sobs as best they can, let’s remember that we can do better. And if ever you need a place to drop your kid for the day because school isn’t the right option but you still need to work, please know they can come here. I’m here.
Now let’s comfort these kiddos and make some fucking cookies.