Christmas is a time for peace and love, and for being together. It's a time where there is giving, and receiving, and a flow of good will and cheer.
We had a Flow family party this weekend and baked and decorated gingerbread cookies with our kids. This really got us into the Christmas Spirit, and we wanted to share the love with you.
Here is My Family recipe for gluten free (optional) spicy gingerbread cookies:
600g or 5 cups of Flour - I used a mixture of different organic and gluten free options like quinoa, cassava, rice and Icelandic barley and wheat - Note: spelt is recommended over white wheat flour for less gluten
1 1/2 dl. or 2/3 cup Honey and/or Maple Syrup
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup milk - whichever milk you like best
75 g or 2/3 cup Vegan Butter, Margarine or butter
2 dl. or 1 cup Coconut Palm Sugar or Raw sugar
6 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ginger powder
6 teaspoons clove powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 teaspoons baking soda
Melt the margarine or butter together on low heat on a double boiler and add syrup/honey.
Add vanilla and milk and stir gently. Mix all the dry ingredients together well and then combine the wet and dry, kneading the dough with your hands until it's a large ball that is well blended. Put in the fridge for at least a couple of hours before taking out and rolling out on a flat floured surface. Use your favourite cookie cutters and make fun shapes to decorate with your favourite icing. The icing we used in this photo was a basic egg-white/powdered sugar/food colouring icing that Leela sourced from the internet.
More about the Christmas Spirit Flow style:
Our Christmas wish at Flow is that peace and love flows freely from our hearts and around the world. The more we give, the more we receive. It's all about generosity and gratitude for all the many blessings we have in our lives. Wish we could give you a cookie right now!
During the holidays, try to make each moment a meditation. You can always take a deep breath, focus on gratitude and take just a few minutes to connect within. You can make it a goal to love everybody you come in contact with. Smile and warmly greet people, "Hello. Have a nice day." Love, care, respect and always share a kind word, like "Hello." You can say something nice, like my Father did, the old fashioned way, "God bless."
In Iceland we say "Bless, bless." We bless each other daily.
Christmas is also about delicious food and time together to nourish ourselves in the company of loved ones, feasting on traditional foods that make us feel at home.
Find ways to give unconditionally without expecting anything in return. Let the love you have in your heart pour freely to everyone around you. You can sing Christmas songs, and feel moved by the meaning of the words. You can look around at the splendour of humanity's outpouring of beauty in the Christmas lights and decorations and see winter's natural glory surrounding us and pray. This does not need to be a traditional or religious prayer, but just a wish from deep in your heart for love, blessings and good things for others and for yourself.
Let yourself feel the wonder of being a child at Christmas, and let the love flow.