A Covid Xmas
2020 – What a Bummer!
Have you ever been really down due to illness, pain or both? Then, in a moment of deep depression, a friend comes along and talks you back. My friend, Rose called and gave me just such an experience. In early December I was struggling with Covid19. On one foggy-brain day, feeling terribly sorry for myself, Rose calls out of the blue. Even though she knows of dark days, beginning with the lingering loneliness of a lost husband to cancer and months of Covid isolation, she is thinking of me. “How are you?” she asks. A brave question considering how awful I felt at the time. “Terrible.” I reply. “Yes,” she laughs, “I know terrible.” And, with all else and as a polio survivor, she does. Suddenly, laughter bubbles up, a flicker of light shines through and life is worth living again. ‘Share a joy and it’s doubled. Share a problem and it’s halved.’
A Gingerbread-House Tradition
Once the laughter takes hold, the conversation turns lighter and happier, sharing stories our children and grandchildren. As we begin discussing the weirdness of a Covid holiday, Rose confides that her family gingerbread house tradition may go by the wayside this year. Throughout Rose’s life there has always been a homemade gingerbread house at Christmas. It would stand either in the window of her family’s bakery, or at her parent’s home or at her own. She regrets that she will be unable to supervise the gingerbread house building this Covid-weird year. She wonders if one of her children might step up. I sympathize; I had already been in mourning over the possibility that many of our family traditions might fall by the wayside.
Delicious Memories to The Rescue…
Quickly, the conversation moves from the present to the past. Rose shares beautiful memories of her family’s gingerbread house tradition. I can recall memories of her family’s bakery from my childhood. What wonderful delicious memories! My Mom would take us to Nix’s Bakery on visits to Louisville. My mother and Rose’s mother were best friends growing up, CLICK HERE to read their story. How did I ever forget about Nix’s, the gingerbread houses and the yummy smells? Rose’s family still uses her grandparent’s gingerbread recipe and the house patterns used at that small German bakery. She lovingly saved those patterns after the bakery’s demise and had them converted to plastic for longevity. How amazing! As I listen to Rose, I know immediately I will build a DM-Christmas retrospective around her family’s legacy and include other German-American bakeries I have known.
NIX’S BAKERY – LOUISVILLE, KY
According to Rose, her grandfather, Frederick Wilhelm Nix, is the trailblazer. She writes …”My grandfather…came first. He sent for his brothers, Uncle Henry and Uncle Ed (see photo below). There were 11 kids and none of the sisters wanted to come (to America).” A search of Frederick’s immigration documents show that he arrived in New York on November 11, 1910 and became a citizen in July, 1921 (see Declaration of Intention below). Try as I may, I have been unable to find when Fred’s Bakery opened, when it closed, or any deeper history. If any Nix family members would like to add to this history, please share via [email protected]. For the moment CLICK HERE to read about the Nix family history and photos of gingerbread houses Rose has so generously shared.
Frederick Nix Citizenship Paper 1921 
Left: Frederick, Henry (middle), Ed (right)
Photo compliments of RoseNT
German-American Bakeries in Reading, OH
Growing up, I had only a vague idea that my town of Reading, OH is heavily German-flavored. There is no better way to document these deep German flavors than recalling the memories of two bakeries. JimL of the Reading Historical Society confirms what I learned from friends BarbBL and JaneT: the bakeries were Osterhues’ and Lampe’s, names I had completely forgotten. Barb shares … “… I asked my brothers and sister, and we came up with Osterhues and Lampe. I remember both on Benson St. My brother Don said it was Osterhues who had the truck. JaneT worked for Lampe’s. My brother Ken worked for Osterhues for a few years after high school.” My brother, Joe, recalls delivering news bundles to them on his paper route, and the heavenly aroma — hot, fresh donuts straight from the fryers, around 5:30 each morning.
Lasting German-American Bakeries
While many of the bakeries of my childhood have long since disappeared, some did survive the test of time. One close to my heart is the Wyoming Pastry Shop, where I enjoyed many delicious memories with high school friends. Other Cincinnati area bakeries are still well known and thriving. These bakeries are now all-American, but German in origin. I love Servatii’s for their Italian bread, pretzels and almond shortbread cookies. Also, there is Buskin Bakery with traditional German baked goods, especially the seasonal hot-crossed buns — a family-favorite treat at Easter. No one made American white bread better than Klosterman’s. They also introduced the 1/2 loaf, which I bought religiously after my husband and I became empty nesters. Please share your memories of these bakeries at [email protected]. I will add any memories I receive to the links below.
“The Torch is Passed”…
Rose joyfully sends in a text a few days after we talked … “19 hours later and and Stacy (Rose’s daughter) and (Sydney) (Rose’s granddaughter) birthed a (Nix Gingerbread) masterpiece! The torch is passed.” (To see photos of the Stacy-Sydney masterpiece and other older GH versions CLICK HERE). As for the Mattei-Hellebusch traditions, they too live on through this past Covid Christmas. CLICK HERE to view the stories and photo sharing from family member continuing our family’s holiday traditions. My grandchildren even baked up a few new ones. Thanks so much to all who insisted on CARRYING ON. May family-friends holiday traditions live on for generations to come.
Links to Bakery Stories:
Nix’s Bakery & their Gingerbread House Tradition
Osterhues & Lampe Bakeries (brief histories)
Wyoming Bakery (read a beautiful remembrance of Edward J. Oltmann by his son-in-law, JimG. along with other fun remembrances of the Oltmann family.)
Wyoming Pastry Shop (website)
Buskin Bakery (website)
Klostermann’s Bakery (website)
CLICK HERE to view an entertaining video of the history of Kostermann’s
Servatii Bakery (website) There is a cute story my 96 year old father just shared with me. One day in 1963, after he and his best friend, Al, finished lunch at La Rosa’s in Hyde Park, they noticed a new bakery had opened in the plaza. When they enter, my Dad spots a fresh loaf of Italian bread and from then on he is a loyal customer. While paying, his friend asks the sales lady, where the name Servatii came from as it sounded Italian, not German. Her answer? The owner named it after Café Servatii on Servatii Platz in Münster, Germany. CLICK HERE to read about the name’s origin and other fun facts.
