December is the right month to think about the garden as a whole — not the individual plant decisions, which are best made in the season, but the larger structural questions.

It requires saying no to things that are nice but not essential, and saying no early enough that it's a decision rather than a cancellation.

What we reach for in December, unconsciously, is green and living, because everything else has gone brown and dormant and the living green is the proof that something endures.

This version starts with a coconut cream and cashew base that produces a genuinely luxurious result, spiced with nutmeg that has been freshly grated.

The cardamom here is not a subtle presence — it is the point, warm and floral and slightly citrusy, the spice that makes this shortbread taste specifically like December.