Love has no limits of time or space.

Look for Signs of Love today.

The only time I ever do any deep-fat frying is at Christmas. When Christmas season comes and I head to be with my children, there is one very important item that always gets packed with my things. It goes back to a Christmas tradition from my childhood.

I have the most vivid memories of my youngest paternal aunt in the kitchen making various goodies during this holiday season. But what captured me most was watching her fry what we called ‘rosettes’. My father’s side of the family is Scottish, so I’m not sure how we got so attached to a traditional Scandinavian sweet treat, but it made its way into our celebration. (They are much more delicate, and less sweet and not as heavy as the funnel cakes we are used to here in the States.)

Making rosettes requires a special iron on a long handle that can be dipped into a thin flour, egg and milk batter which is then put into the hot oil to cook off the iron (ideally!). It takes some practice, and some time for the iron to ‘season’, but eventually it all goes smoothly. Thus it is that I always pack my rosette making tools and make sure we have enough peanut oil and a deep fat fryer as I head over the pass out of my valley. The first Christmas I spent with my son’s family in Texas, I purchased an iron just to keep in their home so I wouldn’t have to take it with me on the plane!

This year I was with my three daughters and 7 of my grandchildren making rosettes. This has become a family tradition they can’t do without, just like making gingerbread houses. All the activities have to be planned so everything can be fit into the time frame allotted for our time together. The older granddaughters get to help, and the younger ones stand close, watching with their mouths watering, eating them as they get cool enough.

As the batter in the bowl was getting low, the iron wasn’t getting completely covered with batter as it should, but I was anxious to satisfy my children and grandchildren, reveling in the joy they were experiencing through a tradition handed down from ancestors they never had the opportunity of knowing and loving as I had.

Suddenly my heart burst with excitement and joy as I noticed the confirmation of the love this tradition represented in the sign before me.The centers of each petal of the ‘snowflake’ came loose because of the limited amount of batter on the iron, and became hearts, floating around the center. 

In my excitement, everyone got into the act. The oil was nearly 400 degrees, and I couldn’t leave it. So I called one of my daughters over to take a photo, and everyone else’s curiosity brought them over to view the unmistakable love sign. The rosette tradition has an even deeper meaning than ever before in our family tradition – reminding us that love has no limits of time or space. – by Deonne Wright

Deonne Wright, RN, Registered Aromatherapist/Consultant,Reiki
Level II Practitioner, Sound Healer and Shamanic Practitioner
deonnesaromablends.com