Every family has its traditions and celebrations, as well as its colorful cast of characters whose generous and unconditional love carried us through our childhoods and left us with moments of remembrance etched in our minds and on our hearts. Those shared experiences bring us sorrow for the passing of lives and time, gratefulness for what we still have, and joy for the memories.

Growing up in a big Italian family, my “moments” are predominately food related, because for Italians — at least my Italians — to share food is to share love, and to love and be loved is what life and family are all about.

At Christmastime, with my Nonna’s big tables already nearly bowed under the weight of all that edible love, magical trays of Italian Christmas cookies lovingly prepared by my Aunt Theresa would appear.

Luckily, my Aunt Theresa, who is and will always be my “guru” when it comes to all of my cooking questions, is still here to keep my culinary skills sharp. She is the keeper of the secrets of those delightfully tasty cookies. Thanks to a cookbook she co-wrote with my cousin many years ago just for friends and family — aptly called “Mother Daughter Recipes” — and my recent conversation with her, she shares some of those secrets with us today. Here’s a quick look, with the recipes found elsewhere on this page.

Nutmeg butterballs

As a child, nutmeg butterballs were one of my many favorites. Made with a half-pound of butter, sugar and coarsely ground almonds, then shaped into 1-inch balls, baked and rolled in confectioners’ sugar mixed with nutmeg, these balls of powdery goodness are dry and deceptively light.

Theresa’s rum balls

Though of similar shape and size, unlike the nutmeg butterballs, Theresa’s rum balls are a moist, no-bake cookie.

My Uncle Dick, Theresa’s late husband, “used to love them . . . he would eat a whole container if I let him,” she says.

Because they are so moist, she instructs: “Wrap them in plastic wrap, with granulated sugar, and keep them separate when you make them up (otherwise) they will soften all the other cookies.”

Pignoli cookies

“This is a real old Italian cookie,” explains Theresa.

Like many Italian cookies, pignoli cookies are made with almond paste, which I was surprised to find in a local grocery aisle. Rolled into a ball about the size of quarter and then pressed into a pile of pignolis  (a.k.a pine nuts), this recipe, she says, “takes a lot of nuts.”

Italian ribbon cookies

Italian ribbon cookies are “sometimes called flag cookies because they are the colors of the Italian flag,” explains Theresa. They are also a very time-consuming and “expensive cookie to make, with all the almond paste,” she adds. Nevertheless, this colorful, old-world cookie is one of my aunt’s favorites.

Though the recipe calls for both raspberry and apricot jam in between the layers of green, white and red, Theresa recommends using only apricot jam, “pureed so that there are no chunks and the consistency is even . . . it’s like a glue that holds the layers together.”

Lace crisps

Also called Florentine cookies, this delicate and crispy cookie is more like candy than cookie.

Through trial and error, I learned that the best way to bake this cookie is in a glass pan that has been greased with lots of butter. Leave them in the oven for about 13 minutes and watch them closely, even though the recipe says simply “until set.” I wasted a few cookie sheets’ worth before I got them close to right.

Though mine came out a bit larger and somewhat oddly shaped, the lace crisps that exist in my childhood memories were about 1.5 inches in diameter, thin, crunchy and perfectly round. They were as beautiful as they were delicious, leaving me only to conclude that, when it comes to baking, I am not my Aunt Theresa.

Neapolitan

Made with two different doughs that are layered — a light layer sandwiched between two dark layers — “the Neapolitan,” says Theresa, “is supposed to be a crisp cookie.” The dough needs to be chilled overnight and then thinly sliced before baking.

Theresa recommends that when assembling this cookie, you cover the dough with plastic wrap and use a rolling pin to fuse the layers.

These cookies contain candied fruit, another popular ingredient in Italian cookies. According to Theresa, “this is the only time of year that you can buy it.”

To add variety, she says, “Sometimes I would cook just the light or the dark alone, so I would get three different cookies” from the same recipe.

Theresa’s frosted sugar cookies

Finally, here’s a simple, fun and popular cookie that is so easy a child could make it and so festive you’ll want to share them with everyone you know.

“I used to bake until 3 in the morning,” says my aunt. “I’d start around Thanksgiving and freeze what I could.” Then, at Christmas, friends and family would enjoy overflowing trays of the beautiful, colorful and yummy labors of my aunt’s love. Although many of those friends and family members are gone now and I am left with my “moments,” I feel blessed to have been born into my big, colorful and loving Italian family.

Nutmeg butterballs

1 cup soft butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups sifted flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/3 cups almonds, coarsely ground

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 teaspoon nutmeg

Heat oven to 300 degrees. Cream butter and sugar. Blend in vanilla. Add flour, salt and almonds. Mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls and chill. Bake 15 to 20 minutes. While cookies are warm, roll in mixed confectioners’ sugar and nutmeg. Makes about 6 dozen. Store airtight.

Theresa’s rum balls

1 cup crushed vanilla wafers

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1.5 cups chopped pecans

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1/4 cup rum

1/2 cup granulated sugar

Red candied cherry halves

Mix crumbs, confectioners’ sugar, 1 cup nuts and cocoa. Add corn syrup and rum, and mix well. Shape into 1-inch balls. Take half the balls and roll them in granulated sugar; roll the other balls in the chopped nuts. Moisten cut sides of cherry halves with corn syrup and press one on each sugar-coated rum ball. Makes about 3 dozen. Store in an airtight container.

Pignoli cookies

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Grease 2 cookie sheets.

Cream:

1/2 pound almond paste

2 egg whites

Stir in:

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

Roll into 1-inch balls, adding more flour if too sticky. Press pignoli nuts (pine nuts) on top. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet. Makes about 30.

Italian ribbon cookies

Cream:

1/2 pound almond paste

1 cup butter or margarine

1 cup sugar

Beat and add 4 egg yolks, and beat until fluffy.

Add 2 cups flour with a spoon.

Beat 4 egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture.

Divide into thirds, color 1 red and 1 green. Leave the other third uncolored.

Set oven at 350 degrees. Grease three 13-by-9-inch cookie sheets and line with waxed paper. Pour each batter into an individual sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Turn over onto wire racks and cool.

Line one pan with plastic wrap and put in the green cake. Spread with 1/4 cup raspberry jam. Put the uncolored cake layer on top and spread with 1/4 cup apricot jam. Place red layer on top, cover with plastic wrap, top with another cookie sheet and place a 5-pound weight on top. Refrigerate overnight.

Remove from pans and let set until room temperature. Melt 12 ounces of chocolate chips and spread thinly over cake. Cut into 1.5-inch strips, then slice into 1/2-inch serving pieces. Makes 6 dozen.

Lace crisps

Bring to a boil over medium heat:

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 cup shortening (only)

Stir constantly, remove from heat.

Stir in:

1 cup flour

1 cup finely chopped nuts

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Keep batter warm over hot water. Drop by teaspoonful 3 inches apart on a well-buttered cookie sheet. Bake until set. (See story for additional tips on baking.) Let stand about 3 minutes before removing. Cool. Spread melted chocolate bits between 2 cookies. Makes 3 to 4 dozen.

Neapolitan

Dark dough:

1 cup soft butter or margarine

1.5 cups dark brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

3 cups sifted flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 cup finely chopped nuts

6-ounce package semi-sweet chocolate pieces, finely chopped, or chocolate jimmies.

Cream butter, add sugar and eggs. Add dry ingredients and mix well.

Light dough:

Cream:

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

Add:

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Beat lightly.

Add sifted dry ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Mix in other ingredients:

2 tablespoons water

12 chopped candied cherries

Mix well. Pack half of the dark dough in a deep pan lined with waxed paper. Spread evenly. Layer light dough evenly, then add other half of dark dough. Pack firm and chill overnight.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut into 2-inch strips, then slice into 1/4-inch slices. Lay slices on their sides and bake 10 minutes. Makes 8 dozen.

Theresa’s frosted sugar cookies

Blend:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

Beat in:

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 egg

2 teaspoons milk

Sift and add:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough 1/4-inch thick and cut into shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheet 8 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

For the frosting, mix:

1 stick butter

1 pound confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Half & half to desired consistency

Dip top of cooled cookies into frosting, decorate with nonpareils and let sit until frosting has hardened.