Oh fudge!

I'll be making fudge this year. I usually don't. However, it's been a year that requires some indulgence at the end, so here I go. Usually these "fudge" Christmases are the beginning of a long spiral into sugar induced weight gain. Oh well. My father used to make fudge at Christmas when I was young.  He made the old fashioned kind you'll find the recipe for on a cocoa tin. The only way to get it to set is to beat it until your arms fall off. I simply don't have the strength to make that kind of fudge, even though it is my favorite.  My Grandmother made divinity each year, and peanut butter fudge. She loved sweets, and she would make up little boxed presents full of these amazing candies for all her grandchildren each year. She was a wonder. I wish I had spent more time with her, instead of growing up and running wild. When you are young you think your friends are the be all and end all, but as you age you realize it was your family who mattered most. Too late, since they are all gone now. Instead, we are left with their recipes. If I could raise them from the dead or invoke their spirit by recreating their fudge I would! But of course, I cannot.  All those old candies required a candy thermometer (aka, actual candy making skills), and although I once owned one, I no longer do. I opt for simpler fudge. But fudge it be!  Merry Christmas!