Nostalgia

Update: The Marinwood Christmas House is up and running and amazing! It's definitely a must-see in Marin this holiday season. I've updated this post with a few details and a slideshow of the house.

The most exciting news so far this holiday season is that the famous Marinwood Christmas House is coming back this year! Anyone who grew up in Marin—especially in San Rafael and Novato—in the past 40 years certainly has fond memories of this amazing decorated house. It was the Christmas House; the one all others aspired to be.

Last year I reported on the sad demise of Oakland's venerable Mother's Cookies, and specifically lamented the fact that my children would be unable to experience the childhood wonder that are the Mother's Circus Animal Cookies. Well, mourn no longer, because Mom is back in the game!

Well, actually, Kellogg's is. You see, they apparently bought the intellectual property rights and cookie recipes from the now-defunct Mother's, and just this week have reintroduced the brand to California's store shelves. Cookie lovers rejoice! We, and our children can once more enjoy the shocking pink and white amorphous animal cookies (is it a chimp or a buffalo? No, wait, it's a kangaroo…) covered with candy sprinkles. Apparently other Mother's cookie types are making it back into grocery stores, too. But really—who cares? It's the Circus Animals that really matter.

Apparently it's also the 95th anniversary of Mother's cookies, too. And it's Mother's Day this Sunday. So why not celebrate with Circus Animal cookies?

[Photo by Jef Poskanzer via Flickr.]

It seems that longtime Bay Area institution Mother's Cookies, maker of such childhood delectables as Circus Animal Cookies (pictured), has abruptly announced it's going out of business. A childhood without pink and white frosted animal cookies? Unthinkable! Better go stock up on a bag for my kids, and myself, of course. Seriously, I always considered these a special treat growing up, and it's sad to see another remnant of my childhood disappear.

They're certainly not the best cookies out there, but there's a certain kind of colorful charm and junk food appeal to them. And you can eat an entire bag without even trying. Really! Go try it while you still can, and make sure you have a big cold glass of milk on hand, too.

I don't remember whether I've mentioned this website here before (and I'm too lazy right now to look it up), but I thought I'd give a shout out to MarinNostalgia.org, a great resource for those of us who grew up in Marin, or anyone who's curious about what life in our county was like in decades past. It's an online time machine of sorts run by San Rafael Realtor Jason Lewis, and includes features on people and places from Marin's recent past, as well as a discussion forum. read more »