My grandmother had a way of making you feel special. If you told her you liked something she made, you could count on her preparing it every time she saw you, as if it were her personal mission to bring you joy.

In the South, there’s a saying that captures this beautifully: “We don’t cook just to feed you; we cook to show you that we love you.” And isn’t that what the holidays are truly about? Food, for us, isn’t just about filling plates — it’s about filling hearts.

My grandmother was famous for many of her dishes, but her chicken salad was legendary. It was a two-day labor of love. She’d roast the chickens on the first day, and then peel the apples, potatoes, eggs and pineapple the next.

She’d arrive at family gatherings with trays so large they would barely fit through the door, with each one adorned with an edible garden scene. There’d be a sun crafted from hard-boiled eggs, and flowers made of pimentos and asparagus stalks, with every detail placed with care.

For her, Jell-O was practically its own food group. Like many women of her generation, Jell-O creations came in endless varieties: some with cream cheese folded in, others with floating islands of pears and marshmallows, and a few gravity-defying masterpieces with canned fruit suspended midair.

Her love language was food. I like to think mine is, too.

With Christmas just around the corner, this is the time to embrace those favorite recipes and share them with the people who matter most.

When I think back on the holidays, I don’t just remember the food — I remember the stories and love that came with it. I think of Michelle, my parents’ neighbor, who brought us a tin of her fudge every Christmas like clockwork. Or Connie, my dear ex-neighbor, who gifted us her rum balls (and eventually the recipe, too).

There were the tins of buttery shortbread sent every year by my father’s friends, Eric and Yvonne, along with their cherished Christmas letter, updating us on their lives. After Yvonne passed, Eric, aging but ever determined, kept the tradition alive, buying shortbread to send us. It was a small gesture, but it carried all the weight of love and remembrance.

And then there are the neighbors I have now. Vicky, who brought me a loaf of her sweet-potato bread last Christmas, and Michael, who made us a lemon cake using fruit from his own tree. My boss, Alexa, shares her famous Christmas whiskey, a surefire way to get warm on a winter’s night.

Christmas is the perfect time to dig out those time-honored recipes, prepare something special, and hand it to someone you care about with the simple words, “I thought of you and made this for you.”

During this season of bustling schedules — holiday parties, shopping marathons, and hours spent in the kitchen — let’s not lose sight of the small, meaningful gifts. When someone hands you something they’ve lovingly made, take a moment to truly appreciate it. Look them in the eye, thank them warmly, and wish them a Merry Christmas. Maybe even ask for the recipe — it could become part of your own holiday tradition.

From my home to yours, Merry Christmas!

This month’s recipes are items that make great gifts for the holidays. First up is my gingerbread Bundt cake. I usually make this for Christmas breakfast. It is also a wonderful gift to give to a family or a small company you may do business with.

Gingerbread Bundt Cake With Bourbon Glaze

For the cake:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/2 teaspoons ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 cup molasses

1 cup water

For the glaze:

1/2 cup bourbon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350° F, and heavily grease a 10- to 12-cup Bundt-style pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, spices, salt, baking soda and baking powder. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the molasses. Gradually add the flour mixture in three parts, alternating with the water and starting and ending with the flour. Do not overmix.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and lightly smooth the top. Bake the cake for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, make the glaze by heating the bourbon, spices and sugar over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Once the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a cake stand. Brush the warm cake with the warm glaze every 10-15 minutes.

This cake is best made the day before. It can be stored at room temperature for 3-5 days.

Next up is a recipe for basic sugar cookies. This recipe is incredibly versatile and can easily be doubled, tripled or even quadrupled. One year, I made more than 500 of these cookies as gifts! The beauty of this recipe lies in its adaptability — toppings and decorations can be almost anything you like. I often use red and green chocolate candies, chocolate mints or chocolate kisses, but feel free to let your imagination run wild! Plus, I hear Santa loves these!

Christmas Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Candies & chocolates for decoration

Preheat the oven to 375° F. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and baking powder. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric or stand mixer until smooth. Add the egg and vanilla, beating until fully incorporated. Gradually blend in the flour mixture until a dough forms.

Roll the dough into walnut-sized balls and place them 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Decorate with your chosen toppings — be creative!

Bake for 8-9 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Do not overbake. Let the cookies cool briefly on the baking sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Lastly, here’s a recipe I first shared back in 2022. It’s also one of the very first items I began making as a homemade Christmas gift. This traditional holiday punch originates from Jamaica and the Caribbean, though variations are also quite popular in Mexico. It’s made with dried hibiscus flowers, often called sorrel in the islands and flor de Jamaica in Mexico.

This time of year, you might find fresh hibiscus flowers at the Friday-night market or dried ones at local Mexican markets, such as La Calentana on Florida Avenue in DeLand. You can also purchase them online on Amazon, where a pound typically costs around $14. A generous amount of fresh ginger, combined with orange peel and warm spices, gives this garnet-hued libation its unmistakable zing!

Hibiscus Flower Punch

1 pound dried hibiscus flowers

1 large ginger root (about 5 ounces), peeled and chopped

10 allspice berries

12 whole cloves

3 cinnamon sticks

1 orange peel

For the simple syrup:

1 cup of water

2 cups of sugar

1 cup white rum (or more if you so desire)

In a large pot, combine the water, hibiscus flowers, ginger, allspice, cloves, cinnamon sticks and orange peel. Bring the mixture to a boil, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes before removing it from the heat. Allow it to cool slightly, then pour it into a large glass or ceramic (nonmetallic) bowl. Let the mixture steep on the counter overnight or for up to two days. Do not let it steep longer or it will begin to ferment.

To make a simple syrup, combine 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and then reduce the heat to a low simmer for 3-5 minutes. Be cautious during this step, as the mixture will bubble up and become extremely hot — do not leave it unattended.

Allow the syrup to cool completely, and place it in a container in the fridge.

After the hibiscus-flower mixture has steeped at least overnight, strain it well through a fine metal sieve. Combine the mixture with the simple syrup you made previously, and add your rum. At this point, you may add more rum if you wish. I pour the mixture into bottles and keep it in the fridge. Because of the rum, this punch will last in the fridge for up to two months.

Always be sure to shake the bottle before serving. I like to serve it in small cordial glasses, although you may also serve it over crushed ice with a splash more of rum and a slice of orange as a garnish. You may also make the punch without alcohol and simply enjoy it as a tart refreshing holiday drink.