As the holiday season approaches, I once again reach for my volume of Christmas recipes that have inspired our family's celebrations for decades. These recipes are a kind of time capsule carefully documenting the festive foods enjoyed by our little Oakville community almost a century aqo, Sitting down with a cup of tea, I open Dad's recipe book and remember. As I drift back through the years, I once again enter an enchanting world of memories and recapture the sheer joy of this magical holiday season from my childhood.

Suddenly it's Christmas time, 1939 again. I'm just eight years old and standing at the top of the stairs savoring the wood smoke from the oven in the bake-shop behind the kitchen below. I can hear Mom and older sister Joanie laughing and humming our favorite holiday tunes as I make my way down to see Dad.

Dad's day began at 4 a.m. everyday except Sunday. All the bread and baked goods had to be prepared before the store opened at 9 o'clock. Dad was so proud of his little shop, Thornton's Bakery, on Colborne Street (now Lakeshore Road) with the cozy flat above that was our home. The large oven in the bake shop was wood-burning, so Dad had to start early to get the oven hot enough to bake the bread, cakes and pastries that would soon fill the shelves and window of one half of the store.

The other half was the children's favorite where the fragrance of cinnamon, orange peel, cloves and peppermint permeated the air. This was the candy side with baskets and jars overflowing with candy canes and humbugs, maple fudge, chocolate, roasted cashews and red skin peanuts. All sumptuous treats for sharing or giving. Best of all was the Mixed Nut Brittle. Dad made and sold tons of it. Unfortunately he never became a rich man because he really didn't count his hard labor when working out the price of the goods.

The sweet smell of peppermint filled the whole of the store and flat above. There were pans and pans of candy canes all made by hand. The whole family took part in the exciting task of making these sparkling festive confections. First, Dad would boil the fragrant toffee mixture until it formed a mound, which he would then cut it in half. One half he would pull over a hook, over and over again, until it turned pure white. Pulling the hot toffee on the hook was strenuous work but Dad was strong and never complained. He then added bright red food coloring to the other half which he then laid in strips over the white and twisted into a long rope. This was cut into varying small lengths and hastily passed along to my Mom, brother, sister and me so we could bend a hook in one end. We had to work fast as the candy would harden quickly.

I recall just before Christmas standing outside the store looking in at the candy window. I suppose I must have appeared wistful because a very kind lady suddenly went into the shop and bought me a small bag of candy. I can still see her shining eyes as she handed me this gift. I quickly realized she did not know who I was, but even though I was a young child I knew not to spoil her act of generosity by saying that my father owned the shop! It's strange, but seventy Christmases later, I still vividly remember her kindness.

Once again I call upon my store of Christmas memories as I push open the door and wiggle my way through the crowded shop. It's impossible not to get swept up in the Christmas spirit when it's bustling all around you. The waft of warm butter and vanilla mingle with the sugary scent of a hot batch of cookies baking in the oven. But just now I've got a job to do. I interrupt Mom serving customers by giving her a little hug as I squeeze past into the bake shop in the back.

There, wedged between long tables holding all different sizes of dark fruit cake sumptuously topped with an inch of almond paste and a thin sheet of crisp white icing, I can see my Dad and sister Joan. They don't notice me; they are too busy writing Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings on the cakes before piping a scroll around the border and adding a Christmas rose or two. Since I was not good at decorating, my job was to follow along and add a small stem of paper holly.

In retrospect, it sounds as if we all participated in child labor, but it was so much fun and such a sense of connection with the whole family. And there was always lots of free time too. As soon as I finished my holly contribution I dashed out to meet with some friends to go ice-skating on the river. It had been so cold that we were able to skate right up to the Old Mill built by William Chisholm.

Now it's dusk and I'm walking home along the river path towards the town. As I reach the high street I am greeted by a warm, golden light radiating from all the windows. A magical moment in twilight with Christmas bells ringing as I enter the shop. The sound gives me a sudden rush of happiness as I anticipate the festive time to come. On Christmas day the church bells chime Christmas carols which echo along Colbourne Street, always quite deserted on that most special of days.

It's closing time as I enter the shop. Mom just smiles at me as I scoop up one lonely gingerbread man left on the tray and whispers that there is a plate of sugar frosted mincemeat pies to enjoy after supper. Tomorrow Dad would be baking some Christmas cookies especially for us to offer Santa on Christmas Eve.

In retelling the story of my childhood I appreciate there are few things that stir warmer memories than the food we remember from that time. I would like to share with you one of my particular favorites - Dad's recipe for Mixed Nut Brittle - which I very much hope you will one day press into your own book of Christmas memories.

Ingredients for Mixed Nut Brittle

2 cups fine white sugar
1 teaspoon salt,
2/3 cup of water
1/3 cup of corn syrup
1/3 cup of butter
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
4 cups mixed nuts (Brazil, walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, and cashews)

Preparation

Butter a cookie tray with a lip at least 1 inch high, and place in the freezer.

To mix

In a heavy pot, over a gentle heat, combine sugar, salt and water. Stir continuously until all sugar crystals are dissolved. Put in the candy thermometer, clipping it to the side of the pan, and turn up the heat.

Bring the mixture to a boil and then add corn syrup. Do not leave the boiling sugar unattended as it rises quickly in the pan and may boil over. Heat the mixture up to 280 degrees F. Add butter and continue to cook, stirring frequently. The temperature is very high and splashed boiling sugar syrup is extremely dangerous - as dangerous as boiling oil on the skin - so be very careful.

When the temperature reaches 285 degrees F, remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Immediately add the nuts and mix thoroughly. Pour onto the cold, buttered tray, and separate into clusters by pulling the mixture apart with the tines of two buttered forks. Work quickly, as the toffee will harden very fast.

Barb Savage