Aside from her incredible garden and freezer full of homemade peach ice cream (and, ahem, grandchildren), my Nannie’s collection of Department 56 Snow Village figurines was her greatest source of pride. My grandpa built a three-tiered table as an altar for these figurines, a mini museum to display the coffee shops, motorized ice skating rinks and the North Pole itself. I once tried to touch them, and that day I learned that Hell hath no fury like a Southern woman whose porcelain gets fingerprints on it.

This dazzling village was on display in her living room all year long, in part because it was too impressive to have just one month of airtime, and too time-consuming to put away, but mostly because it made Nannie happy. Who cares if we’re only supposed to celebrate Christmas in December? Who cares if it’s a bit gaudy and takes up 15 percent of her whole house? I used to think her village was a bit dated, but now I wish I had enough room for such a nostalgic monument myself.

Beyond décor, the sweets I’m baking right now are steeped in old-fashioned charm. I don’t care if it’s Instagrammable or what my Gen-Z cousin might think. If it’s delicious and makes me happy, I’m doing it. So I’m here to reclaim retro desserts, the things that we may have previously turned our noses up at, but are actually more fun than anything you can get at a fancy patisserie. They’ve stood the test of time, and tradition.

The name pretty much says it all

My family’s most prized holiday dessert is cherry yum-yum. I must admit, when I decided to make a video about it, I was a little worried what the internet might think. It’s a very simple no-bake recipe, made in a 9-by-13 inch dish layered with graham cracker crust, almond-scented cream and canned cherry pie filling. It’s a bit of a mess, not at all fancy, and I love it more than anything. It’s an ode to Nannie, so if you make it, make sure to raise a glass of chardonnay in her honor.

View the recipe:Cherry yum-yum

Fruitcake, but fast

It blew my mind when I first learned a proper fruitcake takes months to make, and I must admit I was a bit skeptical (as I’m sure many of you are reading this) when we asked Claire Saffitz to develop a one-day version, because the zeitgeist tells us fruitcake is what you gift your enemies or use to prop the door open.

Oh, how naïve I was. When I tried this cake on set, I was put in my place. Claire’s dense, spiced cake is chock-full of boozy dried fruit and toasted nuts, glazed in apricot jam and drizzled with a tangy lemony glaze. It’s a true holiday showstopper. I made it for Christmas a couple of years ago, and now it’s become a tradition in the Vreeland household.

View the recipe:One-day fruitcake

This cake demands respect

Millie Peartree knows a thing or two about tradition. She and I could gab for days about retro food, and the art of not holding back. This sock-it-to-me cake is a fabulous collab between pound cake and coffee cake. (It also gets Aretha Franklin stuck in my head for days on end, which I don’t hate.) Inside, there’s a brown sugar-pecan swirl, and I think it would be perfect for any holiday brunch. Millie said it best: “Make it for a group of people you love, or people you’re just getting to know. They’re going to ask you all about the recipe.”

View the recipe:Sock-it-to-me cake

Extra credit

I would be remiss to not mention Jell-O molds, chocoflan and baked alaskas in a retro holiday dessert roundup. Spotify told me I was 66 last week, so I’m leaning in. Maximalism is back! Go ahead and go all out. It’s the holidays, after all.

The Monthly Bake

You will always be famous, cranberry cookie-butter cheesecake

I don’t think my inbox was prepared to be flooded with so many beautiful C.C.B.C. photos. Thank you so much to all of you who continue to make it a part of your holiday celebrations. Shout-out to everyone who played with form. Look at those mini terrines and snackable cookies!

Keep tagging me on Instagram @vaughn, and send photos of your Monthly Bakes to baketime@nytimes.com. (By submitting photos to us via email, you agree to our reader submission terms here.)

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