Kris(mas) Kringle

As we near Christmas, I look into the freezer and find the napoleon of Kringle boxes from Christmases past. My aunt and uncle have sent them every year for a while now. Last year they sent two. They used to send Play with Your Food wall calendars, which we all loved, especially the kids, but then they somehow got onto the Kringle kick. For those of you who may be wondering, Kringles are a Danish confection--large rings of flaky, buttery pastry, filled  with various fruits or nuts or chocolate, or a combination of two or more, and glazed with a rich icing. I love them, especially the chocolate pecan ones, but I am the only one in our family who eats them and they're too big for me to eat all by myself, so after a helping or two into the freezer they go and are rarely pulled out again. Each Christmas, the newest Kringle box is slid to the bottom of the pile, so the oldest becomes the top stratum of the layer. Once I discovered that my cousin's half-Danish daughter loved Kringle, I tried to fob at least some of the newest Kringle off on them, but that put only a small dent in the tower of boxes.

Still, I am sad at the thought that this year it looks like there will be no new Kringle to add to the stack. My aunt is in a nursing home now, with early onset Alzheimers. She won't be ordering any Kringle for sure and I don't know if my uncle will be taking over for her. Nothing has arrived so far, so I'm guessing that this particular holiday tradition has come to an end, as all things do eventually. I am amazed that the simple act of opening the freezer and looking at a pile of pastry boxes can evoke so many memories and so much nostalgia. This Christmas, I will pull out one of the Kringles and savor it, remembering my aunt and uncle with every bite.