SANTO DOMINGO. – It's Christmas Day, last night was long and the house wakes up around 10:00 in the morning, when the sun, as if it had also stayed up late, forces its way through the curtains.
The first to get up is the dad, who goes to the kitchen to fulfill a tradition he has had since he was little: preparing cold sandwiches with the telera and the turkey or chicken that were left over last night, and making a hot chocolate with milk and spices, with lots of foam to the delight of the little ones.
Speaking of them, one by one and in silence they settle in with their little mugs in hand and bags of marshmallows to pour over them and have fun while they melt. Disheveled, in pajamas, talking softly to each other. Each one with the toys that "Baby Jesus" left them the night before, because Santa Claus doesn't come to that house in the Cibao region.
The smell of meat and chocolate awakens the adults, who also sit down with their cups, stretching and yawning as the merriment begins. With everyone up, there's no need to hide their laughter.
Games, television and the warm-up
With their bellies full, the house will be buzzing with activity. After breakfast, they'll move to the living room, the porch, and the bedrooms. Between board games and children's movies, midday will fly by, and by 2:00 in the afternoon, Mom and Dad will head back to the kitchen.
You know how it is: they'll start taking all the treasures out of the fridge and putting molds and pots in the oven, on the stove, and in the microwave. The kids will look for disposable, cardboard plates because that family prides itself on being eco-friendly.
The table will once again be adorned with colors and aromas for a second banquet: salads, ham, rice and beans, casseroles, lasagna… and lunch will become a new, relaxed celebration, without haste.
Finally, the teenagers will crack open almonds, walnuts, and hazelnuts, not without making a mess by dropping some of them. Because that's how it's done in homes here: amidst the noise and laughter, even the messes are part of the fun.
Shortbread (butter fingers)
Later in the afternoon, at 5:00, the boys and girls will have so much energy that their mother will invite them to make some Scottish shortbread cookies with her, which do not contain yeast or eggs and are a delight, as well as a tranquilizer for the restless ones.
The children will gather around the table and their mother will ask them for the ingredients, which she will have arranged in order:
– 225g of unsalted butter, at room temperature
– 110 g of brown sugar or cream
– 340 g of all-purpose wheat flour
– 1 pinch of salt
– Sugar for sprinkling
The father will take out of the refrigerator a punch that he will have been given that same week and will serve it to the mother, who of course will taste it gratefully, while he turns the oven on to 160 degrees to preheat.
Then the parade of orders will begin:
She will instruct her 15-year-old son to add the sugar to the butter and begin whisking it. "Whisk it until it becomes like cream," she will tell him, in the tone of a cooking teacher.
The other 17-year-old will have to sift the flour and salt, a task she will undertake with an air of expertise.
– When the mixture is ready, the mother will invite the little one to put his hand in the dough, just a little, so that he feels that he is also part of the ritual.
– Meanwhile, the dad will prepare the mold with parchment paper and suggest to the youngest child that she draw the horizontal and vertical lines to form the fingers.
Dad will pick up a fork to prick the dough, but his daughter will insist on doing it herself. And he'll let her, because in that kitchen every gesture is a shared game. The little pricks will multiply like tiny stars on the surface.
Mom will put the mold in the oven for about 35 minutes. When the edges are golden brown, she'll take it out, and then the older girl will sprinkle a little sugar on top, before setting the mold aside to cool. Before it cools completely, Dad will take a knife and, following the marks they made earlier, cut out the little fingers.
The kitchen and the house will smell wonderful. The mother will ask the 15-year-old to make a coffee maker, because with coffee those cookies will be the perfect ending. For the little ones, she'll make a milkshake: evaporated milk, ice, red soda, and vanilla. Just that, and that glass holds pure bliss.
When asked where these cookies come from, she'll tell them they originated in Scotland and date back to the Middle Ages. She'll explain that their crumbly texture comes from the large amount of butter, which makes them melt in your mouth, and that the "finger" shape is one of the most traditional presentations. She'll say that they were originally just a simple bread, but now they're a delicacy reserved for very special occasions.
With the coffee and milkshake ready, the cookies will be placed on a platter and devoured amid laughter, before the shower turns begin.
“So, what are we having for dinner?” the youngest will ask, grabbing a toy car and starting to play under the little tree. Because in that house, Christmas isn't just a one-day affair.
