A Christmas Star, An Elf, and Chocolate Cake

 A Christmas Star, An Elf, and Chocolate Cake

December has flown by and soon it is going to be New Year's Eve. Some things happened in December that made it a unique for 2020. 

The "Christmas Star":

On December 21, 2020, both Saturn and Jupiter were in close orbits that it appeared, from Earth, that both planets merged together. Their brightness made it look like a shining star in the night sky and, since it was close to Christmas, it was deemed the "Christmas Star." People online debated whether it was a similar event that occurred during the birth of Jesus thousands of years ago.

The Elf on Our Shelf 

Sparkles has been our "Elf on the Shelf" for a few years now. She usually comes early in December and humors the two little ones by getting into mishaps and creating humorous stories with random action figures or Barbie dolls. Throughout the years, she's formed a bond with the oldest little one (now 11). She's left her notes, Christmas cards, and selfies upon her departure each year. This special bond between the two became kind of a hassle this year. December, during a pandemic, has been kind of tiring. If Sparkles was going to make a visit this year, she was going to visit but not go all out like past years. But how to add onto her story while keeping her in one place? Well, she was going to have surprising news for her dear human family! Sparkles is newly married and is apparently starting a family (not my idea but I went along with it). Upon her rather late visit this year, she brought her new husband, Hewey, with her to make sure she had a safe travel during this pandemic season. So, now it's no longer just Sparkles...It's now Sparkles and Hewey. Maybe next year, Hewey can have a backstory too, rather than just the husband. Although, the 11 year old isn't so keen on the new elf.

 

Chocolate Cake

Finally, the chocolate cake. It looks like a typical cake but it holds a special tradition within the family. This typical, nine-layered chocolate cake was a special cake my great-aunt used to make. She eventually taught my great-grandmother (her sister) how to make it. Eventually, this became a special dessert my great-grandmother would make during the holidays. The cake itself is a typical yellow cake. When pouring it into a cake pan, you must fill each cake pan with an equal amount of batter, enough for 9 layers. Each layer has to be thin - it can't be thick! If that's not enough of a complicated task, the chocolate frosting can't be store-bought but made from scratch and poured onto each layer from the pot of melting chocolate. Oh, don't forget to do it quick before the chocolate hardens! This Christmas was the first time, in quite a while, that the cake was made for Christmas. The last time was 7 years ago at Christmas, made for my great-grandmother. Passing it down as a tradition keeps the memory of her, and my great-aunt, around for the newer generations.