The tradition was simple. Mom made the treats. We ate the treats. My brothers and I sorta, kinda helped, and by helped I mean that we inserted ourselves into the process just enough to splatter food coloring and cover all things in sticky marshmallows.

When I went to make my first batch as an adult, I couldn’t find the written recipe and so I turned to the internet. The internet knows all things, right? Well, as it turns out, the internet did not know how to make Green Things.

In the absence of any reasonable “Green Things” search results, I expanded to searching descriptions. Somewhere around “green cornflake marshmallows” I got a hit.

As it turns out, other people had been making and eating Green Things, but they had been calling them Christmas Wreaths. Some people, apparently, fashion these treats into tiny Christmas wreaths. Well, my family always has and always will serve them in globs, top them with Red Hots, and call them Green Things.

As it is with recipes, so it is with holiday traditions. We each have our own and that’s okay.

Buy tons of presents or take a family vacation. Have fun with your Elf on the Shelf or avoid it at all costs. Wear matching Christmas outfits or come as you are. Do what you’ve always done or try something new. Take formal family photos or choose the person with the longest arms to take the group selfie. Attend every party or keep it low key at home. Fashion perfect Christmas Wreaths or make globs of Green Things.

We are all just loving our families, making memories, living our lives, and doing the best we can. We all do that a little differently and what a beautiful gift that is.

Merry Christmas, friends. Now go make yourselves some Green Things.

MCCARTY GREEN THINGS

1 stick of butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp green food coloring

1 bag jumbo marshmallows

5 cups cornflakes

1 package Red Hots candies

1. Melt butter in large pot.

2. Turn heat to low and add marshmallows. Stir continuously until all marshmallows are melted.

3. Remove from heat. Add food coloring and vanilla. Stir until blended.

4. Add cornflakes. Stir until all cornflakes are covered. Drop by the spoonful onto waxed paper. (This can be messy, so either be prepared for sticky fingers or get yourself some cafeteria lady gloves.)

5. Add three Red Hots to the top of every Green Thing (This works best if the globs are still warm, so move quickly or ask the kiddos to help!)

6. Store in an air tight container or, better yet, eat them while they’re fresh!