Being a singer, because I hesitate to say musician as if I were skilled in the classics, I pretty much judge the Christmas music by whether or not I’d enjoy singing it. At one time or another, I’ve sung all the traditional music, both religious and secular. Also, there is always a cute song that catches on and sometimes actually lasts: I SAW MOMMIE KISSING SANTA CLAUS etc. etc.
At Atlanta’s First Baptist Church, where I kind of grew up, the senior choir was always invited to sing at the beginning of the season, standing on the glassed in bridge joining Richs’ home store to their main store. There were maybe four tiers with a choir on each one. At the end, they lit the big tree and it really was lovely. I sang with the senior choir as well as the young people’s choir from the time I was about 13 or 14. I’m just being honest here, I so much prefer the Carols rather than the more serious or classical songs.
Some of my best memories of Christmas past are of all the baking that went on. My parents loved cake and it seems to me, that’s what my mother loved doing to celebrate. My dad just thoroughly encouraged her to bake and he had his favorites too. His most favorite cake was black walnut. Mother always made the cake by the One, Two, Three Four cake recipe that I believe is in Mrs. S.R. Dull’s Cookbook. [Mrs. Dull wrote the Cooking Column, in the Atlanta paper, for years – Here's more about the book.] Mother always made three layers, so the iced cakes were big. She made a cooked, white icing [called 7 minute icing] and as she put the icing on each layer, she patted in coarsely chopped black walnuts. For icing to completely cover the top and sides of the cake, she stirred into it probably another cup of walnuts. Now it all needed to set up for awhile before cutting. Where did she get the walnuts? That was Dad’s job. He had to obtain them, always fresh, crack them, pick them out of the hard shells, and chop them. Walnut outer shells are quite hard and he often used a hammer to open them. Then the next shell has to be opened. This was a labor of love for him.
black walnutsI’ve been told the story of Dad’s arrival home from spring training, one year, and finding a big, black walnut cake sitting on the kitchen table. Mother was taking a bath but her dad, Grandaddy Butler, was in the kitchen. My dad greeted him, got a glass of milk and a plate and proceeded to eat most of the cake. Grandaddy was so horrified, he finally banged on the bathroom door and said, “Wilma, you’ve got to come quick. Bob is going to kill himself!” Dad was about a good 6ft 3+ inches tall and about 225 lbs. Grandaddy was perhaps 5ft 7, very small. Mother and Dad told that story and laughed about it for years.
Dad’s next most favorite cake was fresh coconut. Mother made it pretty much like the walnut, substituting finely grated coconut for the nuts. Here again, Dad’s job was to prepare the coconut and I honestly think he enjoyed doing it. Sometimes, we’d go to the Farmers’ Market and various other stores looking for the best nuts and coconuts. This was the part of Christmas he really got a kick out of.
She never made just two cakes so we always had a lemon cheese cake, chocolate cake, pound cake, and the fruit cake she’d made earlier so it could ripen or something like that.
Years later, in Augusta, after I had school age children, Mother and Dad were visiting for the first part of the holidays. They always left to be with her family on Christmas Day, after breakfast and Santa. Early in the morning of the 24th they came into the kitchen and said to me ”Are you ready to start making cakes?” I just looked at them. “Uh, I guess so?” I said --- and we were off! I made the cakes and icings and Mother put them together, a job she loved. Dad kept up with the dishes, kids, and finally, had to go buy more butter, eggs, milk etc. We only used White Lily plain flour and I still use White Lily products. That brand of flour is made from a wonderful soft wheat, not found in other brands. Well, I made all the cakes listed above plus my caramel cake. The next morning, before they left, they covered a huge box lid with foil and arranged cake slices all around it. Mother rode all the way to Atlanta with that huge tray of cake in her lap!
My dad, Bob Hasty, was one of the most genuine, kind human beings I’ve ever known. Don’t misunderstand - he was no pushover. He was fairly strict with us growing up but he tried to be fair and explain his reasons. He never had the kind of ego that allowed him to sit while others waited on him. After he retired when he was home more, he took over many of the household chores. After he died, I had to teach Mother how to use the vacuum.
My Grands love cake so we are beginning to start making cakes again, plus I want to teach them a few tricks. Their love of pound cake tickles us because Dad loved it too. In fact, he loved it so much Mother taught him how to make it. After that, there was always a pound cake at their house. He didn’t have to bother with layers and icing etc.
Most Christmas Eves, Dad and I would find an old Bing Crosby movie on TV and watch it after everyone else went to bed. Bing Crosby was his very favorite and I want to say the movie we liked most was “Holiday Inn” because that’s when he sang “White Christmas.”
With all the cake in the house, dessert was always just vanilla ice cream, on Xmas Eve. My dad did not drink alcohol but he told people about the wonderful mint sauce I made. He never knew it was simply Crème de Menthe, poured right over the ice cream! By Christmas Eve I was always too tired to do much cooking! For years he told people “Elva makes the best green sauce for ice cream but she won’t share the recipe!”
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