We have always been a family who bakes during the holidays. I grew up with all sorts of Christmas treats everyday. My mom and grandma always share their love of cooking and baking during the holidays and that love has been passed down to me. One of my favorite treats are my grandma’s cinnamon rolls. Grandma has been making homemade cinnamon rolls for as long as I can remember. She always has pans of them waiting for us when we go to visit and sends them home with us when we leave.
Last year, grandma came to visit and we made 18 pans of cinnamon rolls in one day! I will never forget the smell of my mom’s house on that day. A combination of cinnamon, yeast, butter, sugar, and my grandma’s “smell” that is instantly recognizable to all of us in the family….. There is nothing better. Not only was it my first time making cinnamon rolls, but I had the expert there with me showing me all the tips and tricks as we went. Having that time with my grandma was irreplaceable and totally worth the stomach ache I got from eating too many cinnamon rolls! We all have had an experience where a smell has transported us to a different time and place. Well, those homemade cinnamon rolls do that for me. I just hope that in 50 years, if I get a whiff of those cinnamon rolls that I will be transported back to my mom’s kitchen, surrounded by some of the most important women in my life.
Abby Byrd