Marena has been making her mum’s Christmas pudding for years. The recipe, in the original recipe book, is hardly readable now, but Marena’s mum’s handwritten copy is picked up every year. Sharing this tradition with her three children and eventually passing on the recipe to them is even more important to Marena now than her mum passed away.
After Marena asked them whether they would be making the same recipe when they grew up, Caoimhe (5) concluded by saying that they would all be passing down their grandmother’s recipe to their own children later. So clever!
Isn’t what Christmas should be about? Bringing family members closer together, across the different generations and sharing those timeless family traditions?
Baking mince pies and a Christmas pudding with three little ones is a bit like being a referee at a hockey game. Marena had to constantly keep track of how many seconds each of them rolled the pastry or how many crumbs of raw dough they managed to steal (raw dough is a favourite all around!) Well, to be honest, she doesn’t keep track of those things at all, but the children certainly do!
In the middle of the chaos of children being children, I was touched by very sweet moments such as Caoimhe saying that she would be kissing her mammy for the rest of her life, even when she is a teenager (Ailbhe is already too cool for this).
I also couldn’t help but laugh at Caoimhe’s mastered puppy eyes, and Ailbhe’s declaration that “Flour was [her] destiny”. Rian, the baby of the family, would slowly make his way across the counter whenever Marena had her back turned (what they can do when you’re not looking!)
Besides baking, what Marena loves most about Christmas is putting up the Christmas tree and everyone taking turns each year to do something different: turn on the lights, put tinsel on or put the fairy on top.
I love how each one of their Christmas ornament has a story: handmade in school, a gift from a friend travelling in China, family heirlooms, yearly baubles representing their family at the time.
Children lose interest in decorating the Christmas tree when they grow up, so it was nice to capture it while they’re still excited (even if they fight over it).
Preserve your family’s Christmas and Advent traditions
Limited amount of sessions available between Dec 1st and Dec 18th.