Doughnuts for Santa

Family Holiday Tradition

Doughnuts on Christmas Eve are a traditional part of a Halverson/Esplin (my mother’s maiden name) Christmas. Because we are a military family, our houses change every few years. But the kitchen remains a place of conversation and fun. Each year, we gather together with friends and family in the kitchen of our home. There, my mom and I take the dough that has been rising for the last few hours, punching out the rounded shapes with cups and using medicine bottles to cut out the holes in the middles. My dad then uses an oil cooker to fry the dough into nearly perfect circles. The doughnuts are then glazed with a sweet frosting. All the while, our guests are in the kitchen, talking and laughing while we cook. The process is almost a form of entertainment within itself, and the product is delicious. We repeat this event each year, leaving out a plate of doughnuts for Santa instead of cookies. This tradition is something that I will pass on to my own children.