Cupcakes with Coffee - The Nostalgia of Christmastime

Christmastime has a very specific flavor — equal parts sugar cookie, cinnamon, and emotional whiplash. One whiff of a pine candle from Target and suddenly we’re eight years old again, wearing footie pajamas, believing in Santa and not in debt. It’s beautiful. It’s delusional. It’s healing.

Back then, Christmas was magic — like literal sorcery. We’d go to sleep with unshaken trust that a jolly stranger would break into our home and leave presents… and everyone was fine with that. Now? I need tracking numbers, insurance, and three warnings from Alexa before I even open Amazon packages because they might be a gift! But that childlike wonder? It sticks to your soul like glitter you will never get rid of. That’s the nostalgia talking.

It’s remembering the noise of wrapping paper being violently shredded at 6 a.m. The taste of hot cocoa that was 87% marshmallow. The glowing warm light of a Christmas tree before anyone knew what 'aesthetic' was. No curated neutrals. Just bright red stockings. Garland and tinsel. And multicolored lights that buzzed like they caused radiation. Perfection.

Now we’re adults, buying the presents, baking the cookies (or pretending we did — thanks Costco), and deeply contemplating the structural engineering of gingerbread houses. We’re also learning that 'family time' is shorthand for emotional Olympics and political landmines, but let’s save that therapy session for January.

Still. We’re suckers for nostalgia. We play Mariah like it’s a legal requirement. We hoard nostalgic Christmas cookies no one has made since 1988 (hello, stained church cookbook from Mimi). We cry at commercials (remember "Peter Comes Home for Christmas" by Folgers Coffee, weep) and jump for joy when we hear the first Hershey Kisses bells ringing and the final whew!).

Even though the lights are tangled, the shipping is delayed, and someone in the family is guaranteed to start drama over the proper way to set up a charcuterie board — we chase the feeling. That warmth. That sparkle. That brief delusional state where anything was possible, and Christmas morning solved everything wrong with the world.

And that’s why we keep doing it. Every year. No matter how chaotic, expensive, or emotionally unhinged it gets — because somewhere inside us lives the kid who believed in magic. And she still wants to peek around the corner and see the tree glowing in the dark at 11:47 p.m. and hoping to catch a glimpse of St. Nick.

We don’t just love Christmas. We emotionally time travel.

“At Christmas all is magic - Dreams come true and spirits soar, Santa lives and reindeer fly - And I'm a child once more.” — Carrie Spencer York

Merry Christmas,

Kate

Now...cupcakes. 

Cupcakes with Coffee Style:

Cupcakes are tiny acts of joy—soft, sweet reminders that life doesn’t have to be big or perfect to be worth celebrating. They’re the reward after a hard day (mid-day, if necessary), the comfort during a messy one, and pure bliss in edible form. Paired with a good cup of coffee, they’re not just dessert—they’re a moment of pause, a little cheer, and sometimes, the reason you keep going.

For this cupcake, go ALL out and pair it with a homemade gingerbread latte.

A little tidbit:

The association of gingerbread with Christmas was cemented in the mid-19th century when Queen Victoria and her German husband, Prince Albert, adopted and promoted German Christmas traditions, including gingerbread. Gingerbread houses were popularized by the tale of Hansel and Gretel, and cookies became a popular part of holiday celebrations even being hung on Christmas trees. The use of ginger is also linked to the belief that it has warming, medicinal properties that were helpful during the cold winter months.

ENJOY!

But let's remember the real magic of Christmastime — not the presents or the rituals, but the way it quietly invites us back to the versions of ourselves we’ve loved and lost along the way. Even if just for a moment, we get to feel that wonder again. And year after year, that will always be enough.

MERRY CHRISTMAS🎄