TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2022 - NATIONAL FRUITCAKE DAY

 DECEMBER 27, 2022, NATIONAL FRUITCAKE DAY

I (generally) like fruitcake - with those colored chunks of sweet, candied fruit. (And, I can even put butter on it - the more calories the better!!!)

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National Today has this about National Fruitcake Day:

“National Fruitcake Day is December 27, a day to celebrate every eccentric person you know. Wait! That’s not right. It’s a day for lovers of fruitcake to rejoice in the delights of the world’s most misunderstood fruit. A fruitcake is a boozy, chewy, rich amalgam of dried fruit, nuts, and sugar, saturated with your favorite alcohol, most commonly brandy or bourbon. That produces a dense, sweet, and textured treat generally served around the holidays. Fruitcakes have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, so you know that the tradition is steeped in history as well as booze.”

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There is an old expression (that I had forgotten) “Nuttier than a fruitcake”.  

I wonder why that expression went away.  And then decided that fruitcakes are mostly a thing of the past.  When was the last time you had a fruitcake (in the traditional sense?).  I haven’t even heard a joke about fruitcakes in years.

Some jokes were that fruitcakes were like bricks and almost indestructible. Or that they were so tough you couldn’t chew them.  Their taste was suspect (or just daunting).  

I did find some (old) fruitcake jokes:

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When is a fruitcake like a golf ball? When it's been sliced. 

What happens when no one comes to your Christmas party? You can have your fruitcake and eat it too. 

What did the gingerbread man say to the unhappy fruitcake? "What's eating you?" 

What did the fruitcake say to the fork? Do you want a piece of me? 

Top 10 Uses For Holiday Fruitcakes 

10. Use slices to balance that wobbly kitchen table. 

9. Use fruitcakes instead of sandbags during a flood emergency

8. Send the fruitcakes to the U.S. Air Force, let troops drop them on enemies 

7. Use fruitcakes as railroad ties. 

6. Use fruitcakes as speed bumps to foil the neighborhood drag racers. 

5. Collect ten fruitcakes and use them as bowling pins. 

4. Use fruitcakes instead of cement shoes. 

3. Save the fruitcakes for next summer's garage sale. 

2. Use fruitcake slices in the next skeet-shooting competition. 

1. Two words -  pin cushion.

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I mentioned that I like fruitcakes - with an exception - without nuts (so “nuttier than a fruitcake” might not apply to me).  They had candied or dried fruit.  Think of trail mix while you are hiking - dried cranberries, dried pineapple, dried mango, and dried raisins.  Then think of that trail mix in a sweet dough-like fruitcake.  I don’t remember having a fruitcake with liquor (but maybe I didn’t know).  

Like another old-time favorite - mincemeat pie (which doesn’t have meat) - fruitcakes have disappeared.  Homemade candy seems to have been forgotten with bags and bars of candies lining the aisles in the grocery store. At a recent Christmas party put on by my employer, there were desserts - brownies, pies - still in their plastic boxes from the grocery store.  The only non-store dessert was the boss’ homemade banana pudding.   

Are we all too busy to bake or make anything?  I made homemade bark (or almond bark without the almonds) and brought it to two holiday parties.  I am getting to be a reasonable cook.  My coleslaw has been praised at a couple of church potlucks and by two friends.  

Have we lost sight of what “used to be” in terms of fruitcake and mincemeat pie?  

What things are needful to do by and for ourselves and others?  Is a gift card for Christmas better than a homemade gift?  Is a Christmas Card better than an email greeting - or even the “one-size fits all” message on your favorite platform - (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram?) 

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Yes, change is inevitable. Tastes are going to change.  Even television commercials tout products to make our lives easier.  So, forget baking, just buy something that H-E-B (my Texas grocery store) makes and puts on a shelf.  

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So, Karen, what are you trying to say?

That things do change - even the things that a person likes.  Over the years, as we age, we change, and what once was might not be the case anymore.  In some cases that is good (for example, with backup cameras, and warning systems, our cars are safer now), and in the case of fruitcake - well it isn’t as important anymore.

So, as I go into 2023, what is important and what isn’t?  What changes are ongoing in my life and what changes do I need to make to be a productive and valuable senior in 2023?

One thing that won’t change for me is my belief that LOVE WINS, that LOVE TRANSFORMS!!  These are built on my faith in an infinite and all-loving God who wants us to know and serve Him/Her/It. 

Karen Anne White, ©, December 27, 2022