Elena Elms’s Uni-Themed Holiday Cookies

For many years, one of the most cherished Uni Watch rituals was the annual arrival in December of a package from reader Elena Elms, who would send me a batch of baseball uni-themed cookies. The tradition began in 2006, when she sent me a batch of cookies with striped-stirrup icing (shown above), but she soon switched to jerseys, which she’d painstakingly decorate with team-based icing designs.

Usually there was a theme. Here are some examples, with the themes noted in the captions:

*2014: Derek Jeter’s retirement. (Photo by Paul)*

*2016: Negro Leagues teams. (Photo by Paul)*

*2017: Teams that moved and changed their names. (Photo by Paul)*

*2019: Uni Watch merchandise, to honor UW’s 20th birthday earlier that year. (Photo by Paul)*

*2021: Colorful uniforms to dispel the darkness of winter. (Photo by Paul)*

2023: Uni numbers that honor significant dates in December — 4 for National Cookie Day (Dec. 4); 7 for Kwanzaa (seven days, with seven symbols); 8 for Hanukkah (eight days); 21 for Yule and the winter solstice; 23 for Festivus; 25 for Christmas; 31 for New Year’s Eve. (Photo by Paul)

*Year uncertain: Hall of Famers uni-numbered 1 through 12.*

In 2014 — the year with the Derek Jeter theme — Elena also made two Jeter-themed catnip toys for Uni Watch mascots Tucker and Caitlin (R.I.P.). It would be fair to say that they were a big hit.

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Elena stopped sending the cookies when I stopped writing about uniforms in 2024. But now that I’m back in the saddle, maybe she’ll revive the ritual. No pressure, Elena!