I suspect that most folks have some family tradition(s) at Christmas. It may be where you go, what you do, who you see, what’s for dinner, and so on. For the Petersens, the Machcinskis (Donna’s family), the Bluethners (her mother’s family), it was always the Jack Horner Pie.

The Jack Horner pie idea originated with Little Jack Horner – the nursery character – who put in his thumb and pulled out a plum. Started in generations past – for us – the Jack Horner pie is a small box in the center of the dining room table. The box has open sides and is covered with a small tablecloth or Christmas napkins – with decorations on top (Donna’s grandmother with a skating scene; Donna’s mother with plants and foliage; and our tradition of small wooden Swedish figures). Hidden inside the box is a small wrapped gift for each person at the table topped by a single one dollar scratch off lottery ticket. It is the last gift of Christmas Day. The gift is tied to a long red ribbon that snakes across the table to a small sparkly nutcracker place card holder for each person at the table. When dinner is finished – it is TIME!! The ribbons are pulled – starting with the oldest person at the table down to the youngest (who must wait with patience).

Inserting the gifts so that they come out in the appropriate order (without toppling the box) requires a degree in engineering. And the Jack Horner pie becomes an integral part of the magic of Christmas.