Unfortunately, the articles are more about the longevity and gift-giving of the unwanted cakes than about the fruitcake itself. For reasons I will explain later, I want to pay a tribute to the often-maligned cake of Christmas.
Fruitcake can be traced back to the ancient Romans. The first fruitcakes consisted of pomegranate seeds, pine nuts and raisins. It wasn't until the Middle Ages that the now-familiar dried and candied fruits were added to the fruitcake. A sugar slur coating was developed to preserve fresh fruits throughout the year and for long treks across the ocean. These super-sweet fruits preserved in sugar became a natural addition to fruitcake.
Fruitcakes have been packed in tombs for consumption by the deceased as they traveled to the afterlife. Crusaders packed them in their bags to use as nourishment during their long battles. Their longevity, due to the alcohol-soaked linen cloths they were stored in, made them a great "to go" food.
Fruitcakes have a rap sheet, too. In the early 18th century, fruitcakes were outlawed for being "sinfully rich."
But their criminal history didn't impede their progress. Shortly after they were legal again, they were a must at any proper High Tea.
Fruitcakes aren't just for Christmas. Before the invention of the freezer, the traditional top layer of a bride's cake was a fruitcake that was set aside for the couple to enjoy on their anniversaries.
Slices from the groom's cake - also a fruitcake - were given to the single women to place under their pillow and dream of their future groom.
That wedding tradition continues until this day.
Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding cake was 17 elaborately decorated fruitcakes!
We are fortunate enough to live only 45 minutes from the "Fruitcake Capital" of the world.
In the small town of Claxton, two fruitcake companies produce and ship fruitcake all over the world.
One of those companies, Georgia Fruitcake Company, holds a special place in my heart.
Today, funeral services are being held for fruitcake legend and the owner of Georgia Fruitcake Company, Ira S. Womble.
Ira was my former father-in-law and a loving grandfather to my children. He lived and breathed fruitcake.
The bakery was started by his father and moved to Claxton in 1948. Ira eventually joined his father in the family business.
In 1954, they received their first big military order for 52,000 pounds of fruitcake, and the rest is history.
After the death of his grandfather, Ira's son, John, joined his dad in the bakery business, and up until the early hours of this past Monday morning, the two of them worked together every day baking fruitcakes and other sinfully rich confections for more than 30 years.
I confess to being one of those people who doesn't have a great affection for fruitcake, but I developed a deep appreciation for well-made fruitcake over the years.
Ira and John spend untold hours painstakingly producing pounds and pounds of fruitcake using the same recipe and method that Ira Sr. developed. Refusing to take shortcuts or use inferior ingredients, they have produced and sold their product with pride for years.
Their commitment was rewarded in 1976, when their cake was awarded a Monde Selection Gold Medal for excellence in taste, quality and purity.
My life was enriched by Ira and his wonderful family. My children are blessed and better people because he was in their lives.
He taught them valuable lessons about hard work, persistence in the face of adversity, and most of all, the importance of loyalty to family and family traditions.
He will be missed by all who had the pleasure of crossing his path.
In a tribute to Ira, my longtime friend and employee, Joyce Quarterman, has graciously permitted me to share her delicious fruitcake cookie recipe.
Even fruitcake haters love these cookies.
Make sure to make a couple of batches, though - they don't seem to last too long once they come out of the oven!
Teri Bell is co-owner of Miss Sophie's Marketplace at the Mighty Eighth in Pooler. Go to sophiesmarketplace.com.
MISS JOYCE'S FRUITCAKE COOKIES
1 pound candied mixed fruit, chopped
2 cups nuts
½ cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sweetened coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, toss together fruit, nuts and flour. Add coconut and condensed milk and stir. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes or until the cookies are a light brown.
The Polish Air Force was battle tested and eager but England and the Royal Air Force were not necessarily ready for them to join them in the Battle of Britain. It took time but the Polish Air Force squadrons showed their prowess and became well respected by all. Polish pilots were noted for the "eagle eyes" they seemed to have. They were well trained in spotting enemy aircraft from far away and with the superior newer English aircraft they were flying they excelled. The Kosciuszko Squadron, No. 303, became the highest scoring squadron in the Battle of Britain, shooting down one hundred twenty six Luftwaffe aircraft. American pilot of Polish descent, Colonel Francis Gabreski of the 56th FG of the 8th AF, even requested to train with the Polish No. 315 Deblinski Fighter Squadron. Gabreski shot down twenty eight Luftwaffe planes and was the top US ace of the European Theater. Polish fighters destroyed more than nine hundred fifty enemy aircraft with fifty eight pilots becoming aces. The Polish manned bombers dropped more than fourteen thousand seven hundred pounds of bombs. Unfortunately, for all of their contributions, they suffered heavy losses. Poland itself lost twenty percent of its population during WWII and then lost its freedom again when it was designated territory of the Soviet Union during the Yalta Conference in February 1945. Most of the exiled Polish military personnel chose to stay in England or emigrated to America. 
