The Promises of Christmas ~ Fruitcake (YES Fruitcake)

Happy Christmas Dear Reader,

Fifty-two miles west of Savannah, between Daisy and Belville lies a sleepy southern town. With a population of about twenty-five hundred there is not much industry.  There is a poultry processing plant that provides fresh from the farm poultry that is of the finest quality.  This small Georgia town is world famous for another reason.  It is the home of Claxton Fruitcake made by the Georgia Fruitcake Company.

For over a century fresh fruit and nuts have been baked into this seasonal delight that I first encountered with my Grandfather.   He and I would have fruitcake whilst we watched television during the Christmas season.  It is one of the hallmarks for me of Christmas joy.

I realize that fruitcake is much maligned and hated by those who have never had it.  I must disagree.  I love fruitcake.  I am, however, a purist.  I do not love all fruitcake and I enjoy Claxton the most.  I understand that some of you see my approval as the final proof that I am mad.

There is a Christmas promise in this concoction that we can all embrace.  Whether you like fruit cake or think those who do nuttier than one, the humble fruitcake reminds us of Christmas.  Even when I pull one from the freezer in June to celebrate my late Grandfather’s birthday I am transported to the memories of him and our time together at Christmas. 

You may not like it and you may get it as a gift.  You surely know someone who does.  Claxton sells five million pounds a year.  Someone is buying it on purpose.  Pass it on to them.  The promise is that there will be joy in their hearts on receiving it.  

Everyone does not love you.  Some will and do.  The real promise is like the fruitcake: there may be those who dismiss us out of hand.  There will be those who love you and they will be all the more precious because they see us as we are and still love us.  Now I need some fruitcake and eggnog.  How about you Dear Reader?

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Why I love Christmas – Fruitcake

Happy Christmas Dear Reader,

Not all fruitcake is created equal.  The ancient Romans first mixed pomegranates, figs, and raisins with the mash for barley cakes to sweeten the bland flat-bread. Variations of this have spun down through the centuries.

I think that more people dislike fruitcake than have actually tried it.  I like fruitcake but it must be moist.  If it is not moist it must be soaked in rum.  Sometimes I intentionally buy dry fruitcake. 

When I want real fruitcake that I can truly enjoy for its own merits there is only one that I have found that will meet the requirements.  Those requirements are that it must be moist, mostly fruit and nuts with little cake, and balanced in the notes or tartness and sweetness.  This fruitcake comes from Claxton, Georgia. 

For over a century this small company has combined fruit and nuts in a cake that I find delicious and seasonally delightful.  I buy some every December and enjoy it throughout the Christmas season.  I often get comments on how undesirable fruitcake is.  People are surprised at my enjoyment of it.  A few friends have happily given me fruitcake they have received from others just to be rid of it.

I often think that the maligned and rejected fruitcake, so often unwelcome as a gift to others, is a timely lesson for me.  It reminds me to love the undesirable.  It reminds me that ancient foods still have a place in this world as do ancient ideas.  It keeps me in mind of the value of trying things that others shun to see the true value. It reminds me that Christ sees the value in every one of us.

Even the inferior fruit cakes that I receive are granted hope.  After all many things are made better with the suitable application of some fine rum.   

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store." 

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)