As the holidays approach, baking brings families and friends together to transition from a year’s hard work into the winter season.
Especially with the cooperation of others, the positivity from baking increases during the holidays. There is a strong sense of fulfillment as bakers create a tasty physical product from their efforts.
“There’s definitely risk-taking while trying new recipes, but because baking is really involved, especially during the holidays, you get to spend multiple hours with friends and family and feel more connected,” said Anaya Goradia, the president of the Carlmont Baking Club.
High festive spirits are already present as family members visit during the holiday season, but bakers like Goradia find that baking enhances holiday spirits and strengthens connections with others.
Elena Winterson, a member of the Carlmont Baking Club, enjoys the sense of unity holiday baking brings as everyone works together to contribute to the baking process.
“When it starts feeling like winter, especially Christmas, I start really enjoying it because Christmas is so universal. Even if the surrounding times are cold and the weather might not be the nicest, it’s still so nice to be able to have a bonding period where everybody is in the same state of mind,” Winterson said.
Winterson spends time with her family each year during the holidays, following their annual baking traditions. They always make a sweet potato casserole and decorate cookies, which helps Winterson relax after the stressful weeks of finals.
Along with taking a break from school and connecting with family, baking is also a great way to bond with new people. Jennifer Leung is a home baker who enjoys baking lemon bars, madeleines, and gingerbread cookies for her coworkers. Additionally, sharing her treats also helped her bond with her neighbors.
“When I was younger, baking was a good opportunity to connect with neighbors. Normally, we wouldn’t talk to the neighbors as much, so it was a good way to connect with people we wouldn’t normally talk to,” Leung said.
Bakers like Leung experience and increase festive positivity from both the rewarding baking process and sharing delicious baked goods with the people around them
By spreading festive joy to her surroundings in the present, Leung also feels a sense of nostalgia as she remembers baking in the past during her childhood.
“When I was a little girl, my mom used to bake a lot, and I would help her. That’s how I learned how to bake. She used to put together plates of different baked goods together and give them out to all the neighbors. So, I took on that holiday tradition and started baking a lot with her every Christmas season,” Leung said.
Among the joyful holiday atmosphere, baking brings a sense of remembrance and appreciation of those who contributed to a baker’s joy for baking.
No matter how difficult and time-consuming the baking process may seem, cooperating with others makes baking more fruitful and the holidays more memorable.
“People should definitely try baking during the holidays. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, but doing it with friends or family is really rewarding and a really great form of human connection,” Winterson said.
