<LEFT: Brad Koehler at age 2 1/2, likely enjoying his grandmother’s Christmas cookies.
EDITOR’S NOTE: The author of the story, Brad Koehler, is a former Bellefontaine resident who now resides in Granville with his wife, Athena, and his son, Adam. He fondly recalls the kind medical staff at Mary Rutan Hospital when his son was born there July 4, 2003, just prior to the family’s move out of the area. The story recounts the Koehler family’s visit back to Bellefontaine at Christmastime around 2005 at their church, the former Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, which was located on Sandusky Ave. in the city. Koehler had written about the happening in his sketchbook years ago and recently revisited this story that brings memories of his beloved grandmother.
BY BRAD KOEHLER
Back in the days when he was a little boy, his favorite cookies were made each year by his grandma. Those wonderful cutout Christmas sugar cookies that were thick and soft with generous amounts of sweet, colored icing on top. They were always in the perfect shapes of trees, stars, Santa, and his very favorite… bells.
His grandma made them special each year. And just right; Trees were green, the stars were yellow, the Santa’s were red, and the bells were always blue.
His grandma would then top them with those little candy “ball-bearings” in silver or red cinnamon that always reminded him of tiny Christmas tree ornaments.
Each and every holiday season, he would tell his grandma to never stop making those special cookies, as he made them disappear one by one with a big glass of cold milk. And each time, she would tell him: “You’ll always have these cookies while I’m still around.”
Years went by and one summer, when he was a young man, his grandma passed-away. That was a very sad time for him and his family, because he knew that he would miss his grandma very much.
And he did miss her. Especially during Christmas, when he could no longer spend time with her, or enjoy her Christmas cookies.
One Sunday, many years later, after he had been married and had a little boy of his own, he and his family were attending church together during the holidays.
As usual after worship there was a get-together of fellowship and refreshments in the church gathering room. Many people arrived with lots and lots of food.
At one end of the room was a large table displayed with candies, cakes, pies, donuts, and of course many types of Christmas cookies.
As he poured himself a cup of coffee, he suddenly stopped; he first caught them out of the corner of his eye and as he turned to look, there they were. At least a dozen of them sitting perfectly on a large holiday platter.
The green trees, the yellow stars, the red Santa’s, and…a blue bell right on the very top! Christmas cookies. THE Christmas cookies!?
He stared for a few seconds, and then picked up the bell-shaped cookie. He smelled it. Then slowly bit into it. It certainly did taste familiar. There had been similar cookies throughout the years, but not like these. These were perfect! Just like his grandma used to make so long ago. The memories came rushing back to him from the smell and taste, and his eyes began to swell up with tears from the happy thoughts of his grandma.
After he had finished his cookie and composed himself, he went about the room trying to find out who had made these Christmas cookies. He wanted to thank them, but nobody claimed to have made them. And nobody knew who had. In fact, nobody had any idea where they had even come from. Yet somehow he knew. And as strange as it may seem, as far as he was concerned, his grandma was somehow… still around.