Unlike last year and two years ago, I decided not to go to my mother’s condo on the anniversary of her death. Instead of walking or cycling down there and looking up at our old place as I recalled what went through my body and mind when I discovered that she had died in her sleep, I wanted to do something that remembered her in a more positive light. Thus on Sunday evening I started my Christmas baking of my mom’s famous shortbreads. I popped in a Lawrence Welk Christmas DVD and started punching out cookies with her trusty cookie gun. I know how much joy these cookies bring to my mother’s family and friends, and I wanted to share in the goodwill. Last year I baked 39 tins. I got a start by filling 4½. The fun has just begun!