My personal favourite was a light fruitcake, like my Aunties used to make. A slightly updated version with candied fruit and dried fruit, as well as plenty of bourbon.
PLUS 
EQUALS 
I had thought my modernized version would be a new tradition. So when I stopped by the supermarket last week, I was excited to see a sale on candied cherries and citrus peel. I happily bought the econo-tubs, expecting to increase my cake output this year.
Until I went home and mentioned my plan to my family. Oh my, such looks on their faces!
Like this...
And this... 
And definitely this: 
Even my own siblings, whom I thought would also be nostalgic for Auntie Cake are, apparently, not. (One has since tried to suggest that I was hoarding the goods last year and didn't offer any around to them, but I find that hard to believe. Certainly I still had plenty to share in April!)
So either I need to be prepared to eat a LOT of fruitcake myself, OR invite my friend Sondra over to stuff ourselves and then collapse in some sort of near-fatal sugar rush, OR I need to find other uses for all of that candied stuff.
So I trawled some recipe websites for ideas. Not good. Like, really not good.
'Rudolph's Reward' was an odd effort to combine eggs, gruyere, rosemary, almond paste and maraschinos into an omelette "perfect for Christmas morn". Rudolph's Revenge, maybe.
There was also 'Навіть свині не їдять', a traditional Ukrainian Christmas bread made of potatoes, flour, more potatoes, milk, potatoes and citrus peel. In an homage to cutting-edge cuisine (circa 2006), the recipe had been updated to include a recommended topping of roasted beet foam... Because lousy bread is much more appetizing once it's been smothered in a shockingly pink frisee of ridiculousness.The one I actually tried was 'Who-ville Hermits' - drop cookies loaded with the leftover candied stuff you couldn't fit in your cakes, a big slosh of vanilla extract, and flavourless cookie dough. But because I HADN'T MADE ANY CAKES, there was waaaaay too much of the candied stuff. So the cookies looked like little clumps of diced mosaic glass held together by Elmer's School Glue. Tasted like it, too. Festive, but awful. I'm waiting for them to dry out to see if they'll make good tree ornaments.
But have I abandoned my Holiday Treat Journey?? Of course not! Bravely, I step forward again.
But I think I'll take the 'fusion' path this year. I've found an exciting recipe for a steamed Christmas pudding stuffed with home-made chutney and smothered in a tamarind chai hard sauce! I just know this will bring joy to our house!
