Growing up, the colorful designs of a tin sugar cookie box were always a staple of joy and happiness for me during Christmas. The second that Costco would come out with their annual selection of Christmas sugar cookie tins with cute pictures of snowy cabins, reindeer, or snowmen, I would know Christmas had truly begun. The array of sugar cookies was simple yet intricate, with their own distinguished design and flavor and the sweet smell of opening the festive tin for the first time.
However, now in high school, I’ve realized that Christmas tins and sugar cookies have somewhat lost their popularity. Christmas has become a time of stress: trying to figure out what gifts to buy others, the rush of trying to save money during the holiday season, the commotion of rearranging the living room to place the expensive Christmas tree, the insane drivers on the road. The list goes on. But sometimes, I just like to go back to a time when all I cared about was the welcoming sugar cookie tin designs, and relishing in the nostalgia it brings with it to this day.
The most popular sugar cookie tins of adolescence were usually the ones with snowy-themed images printed on them. Some tins displayed reindeer, while some had a single image displayed on all four sides if it was a rectangular tin, with different animals or characters. Some were circular and had snowmen and children throwing snowballs at one another. Others had beautiful cabins in a forested setting with snow drizzled all over the place and deer roaming around. However, some cookie tins were more simplistic, with outlines of reindeer, holly, or snowflakes. There was not a time growing up that I didn’t remember a family having sugar cookies in their home, and most cookies also had individual designs on them that would fit the theme of the tin which always made them much more delightful to eat.
Although it has been a while since I’ve bought a sugar cookie tin, and years since I’ve seen one in a friend’s home, the nostalgia has stuck with me. I often miss the warm taste of sugar cookies and the merry feeling of Christmas. It would cling to you everytime you entered your house, returning to the winter wonderland that wrapped around the sugar cookie tin.
