Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas – Volume 1

Merry Christmas, Dear Reader!  Today, I am posting a complete list of all 24 of my 24 Cookies of Christmas series in one single post. There is still lots of time for holiday baking and this series has lots of choices to fit everyone’s personal tastes!

Now, you might be thinking to yourself, But, Lord Byron, today is Christmas Day; shouldn’t our baking be done already? Why are you sharing Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas? Well, my Dear Reader, while that may be true for some of us, it’s certainly not the case for everyone.

NOT EVERYONE CELEBRATES AT THE SAME TIME

Who’s ready for a lesson in Christmas celebrations?  Let’s see… some churches (mainly Orthodox churches) use a different calendar for their religious celebrations.  Orthodox Churches in countries such as Russia, Ukraine, and Serbia, continue to use what is often referred to as the old Julian calendar. They celebrate Christmas on January 7th.

Most Greek Orthodox people celebrate Christmas on December 25th. Some still use the Julian calendar and celebrate Christmas on January 7th as well.  Even some Greek Catholics celebrate it on January 7th. In Armenia, the Apostolic Church celebrates Christmas on January 6th, the same day as it celebrates the Epiphany.

HAVE YOU HEARD OF CANDLEMAS?

You might think that Christmas ends when you take the Christmas decorations down – but it doesn’t!  When Christmas and the Epiphany pass, the end of Christmas celebrations comes on February 2nd. It’s a full 40 days after Christmas, with Candlemas.

Candlemas is also known as the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple. It is also known as the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin. It is when some Christians reflect on Mary and Joseph taking the baby Jesus to the Jewish temple in Jerusalem to give thanks to God for giving them a son.  It’s a very important day in some Orthodox and Catholic churches.

The name Candlemas comes from Candle Mass. In many Candlemas services, the candles are blessed to be used in churches during the coming year or are given out to people for them to use in their homes and private prayers.

In many Catholic churches, it’s a time when people remember and renew promises they’ve made to the church. They also celebrate some of the prophecies that were given about Jesus.  Some churches host an all-night vigil on the night before the candle blessing ceremony.  In the morning, the candles are blessed and given out to people.

I remember my mom would keep her decorations up until Old Christmas Day. I think that was January 9th. See, another reason to read through Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas and continue baking!

LET’S GET TO THE RECIPES

So, you see, Dear Reader, there are many who have not yet reached Christmas Day and will still require some great-tasting Christmas recipes to accompany their celebrations!  Without further delay, here are Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas series in the order in which they were originally published.

Below are images of the cookies in the order that they were published. Remember, just click on the image to be taken to the recipe post. A new window will open and you will not lose your spot on this page. Enjoy!

There you go, Dear Reader; all of Lord Byron’s 24 Cookies of Christmas – Volume 1 on one page! I’m taking a few days to watch movies and relax with my family, but I’ll be back in the New Year with brand-new recipes! Let me take this time to wish you and your loved ones a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

By the way, have you checked out my annual Christmas posts? For the past few years, I have shared our home through pictures. You can see our various trees, and our decorations read about our traditions, and even get to see our Christmas Eve pajamas! I just can’t get enough of Christmas, folks!