Pumpkin Bread

I love the story behind this Pumpkin Bread.  One Christmas Eve while I was busy with last-minute Christmas preparations,  my youngest son, Spencer, who was about five years of age,  came into the kitchen and politely told me that we were going to start a new Christmas Eve tradition.  “We are?  What new tradition are we going to start?”, I asked.  He said, “We are going to have Pumpkin Bread on Christmas Eve.”  “Pumpkin Bread?  How do you know about Pumpkin Bread?”, I asked.  “I’m watching Mother Bear make it for Little Bear on tv and I think we should make some”,  he said. With my heart melting as I looked into that sweet little boy’s beautiful blue eyes, standing there in his pj’s with cars and trucks all over them, I knew what I had to do. Drop everything – everything to make Pumpkin Bread!   Hoping and praying that I had canned pumpkin, I searched the pantry for ingredients, and 1 1/2 hours later, we had Pumpkin Bread on Christmas Eve! We continued that tradition for many, many years after that.  Sixteen years later, we still use this same recipe.  This bread is so easy – literally dump, mix, and bake.  You will love the fragrant, warm, sweet combination of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves that flavor this moist quick bread.  It freezes well, so I usually serve one and freeze one.  Serve it plain or with whipped cream or butter.  It makes a beautiful gift wrapped with a beautiful bow for a special presentation.   Spencer is now a sophomore in college and, when he comes home to visit, Pumpkin Bread is usually on the menu (or in the freezer).  I love making this bread, I love giving it away, but mostly, I love the precious memory it evokes every time I make it.