Category: Christmas

Striking Kellogg Workers Could Return After Christmas as Tentative Deal Reached

Kellogg Co. and the union representing striking workers at its U.S. breakfast cereal plants have reached a tentative agreement on a new five-year contract that could pave the way for the employees to return to work two days after Christmas. The 1,400 workers have been on strike since Oct. 5 and earlier this month overwhelmingly…


The Family Table: Christmas Cookie Edition

We asked readers to share their best holiday cookie recipes and the stories behind them. After sifting through dozens of sweet (and buttery) submissions, here are a few that touched us most. A Spoonful of Love from Grandma’s Kitchen Submitted by Kim Sutter, Owasso, Oklahoma I have lovely memories of my grandmother Helen. She was…


Christmas Parade Reignites the American Spirit in a Delaware Town

ELSMERE, Del.—Santa Claus made an appearance in Elsmere, Delaware, bringing the holiday spirit back to town with him after going through the pandemic. After a hiatus in 2020 because of COVID-19, the 26th annual Elsmere Christmas Parade returned on Dec. 12. It included dignitaries, bands, marching units, dance units, floats, fire departments, police departments, and…


The Makings of an Italian Christmas Cookie Tin: 3 Recipes to Tell the Story of My Family, Past and Present

I am a Tuscan born and bred country girl, from a family of people who love traditional food. Olive oil runs through my veins, and I love nothing more than pappa al pomodoro, our famed stale bread and tomato soup. I stock my pantry and my fridge with local beans, pecorino toscano, our typical unsalted…


Mostaccioli (Pugliese Spiced Christmas Cookies)

Mostaccioli are dense, dark, nutty cookies shaped like diamonds and covered with a chocolate glaze. The key ingredient to make traditional mostaccioli is vincotto, a syrupy cooked grape must (mosto in Italian, hence their name, mostaccioli), or vincotto di fichi, a thick, slow-cooked fig syrup. Both are very common in the Italian South, usually used…


Cavallucci Senesi (Sienese Walnut Cookies)

Among Siena’s most traditional Christmas cookies, cavallucci are not elegant or photogenic, lacking the bright colors, icing, and sparkling sugar we expect from a Christmas cookie. Nor do they come in Christmas shapes; they’re round and rustic, lightly flattened on the ends, floury and a bit lumpy. And yet, with that first bite full of…


Calzoncelli (Chocolate and Almond Christmas Cookies From Basilicata)

Along with cavallucci, calzoncelli are another fixture of our Christmas at home. They originate in Melfi, a southern town in Basilicata, my grandfather’s hometown. A bag of calzoncelli, no matter the size, never lasted longer than a couple days at home. Calzoncelli are small parcels with a paper-thin, brittle shell and a moist chocolate and…


Santa Signs to Little Girl

This precious child will remember Santa for years.


Do Not Take Children Out of Class Ahead of Christmas, UK Prime Minister Warns

Parents should not take their children out of school before term ends, Downing Street has said. The UK Prime Minister’s official spokesman said it is “important” that schools and parents “don’t take precautionary steps to deprive their children of education”. The plea comes amid reports that parents are choosing to keep their children out of…


A Twist on Traditional Italian Holiday Cookies

This crispy-on-the-bottom-and-chewy-on-the-inside gluten-free cookie recipe is a twist on a traditional Italian holiday treat, pignoli, or pine nut cookies. Look for almond paste—a mixture of ground almonds and sugar (available in tubes or sometimes tubs)—near other baking supplies in well-stocked supermarkets or specialty stores. Sweeter marzipan doesn’t work well in these cookies. Pignoli Cookies Active…