I have purchased no eggnog this year.
Normally, I would be on my second carton by now.
When I first spotted cartons of eggnog in the dairy aisle a few weeks ago, however, it just didn’t seem worth the calories.
Part of this attitude, admittedly, results from attending boot camp at 5:30 a.m. three days a week. I’m not negating that much hard work with 6 ounces of sugar and fat.
Part of it, though, is the realization that eggnog is simply a nostalgic food for me, a trip back in time to childhood.
When I was a child, eggnog was something that I drank only at my grandparents’ house, and only in the days leading up to Christmas. We drank it out of these fabulous Santa mugs:
As my friends Kristen and Harold have noted, however, nostalgia can be burdensome. I can’t re-create those Christmas scenes, and I shouldn’t want to. Every day of the year gives us another chance to create NEW memories. Trying to redo the past, even the little pieces of it, can only lead to bitterness and disappointment.
My brother’s kids are going to remember that Tia always made red velvet cake pops for them at Christmas, and Tia’s going to remind them that, for little girls under 50 lbs., they ate an impressive number of the rich morsels. And in 20 years or so, I hope they come up with their very own tradition, leaving cake pops in the dust if that’s not really their thing anymore.
I’ll give them the Santa mugs, though, if they decide that eggnog is their thing.
I love eggnog and wish they supplied it year round; boot camp or not I would drink the heck out of it. Although, I have not yet purchased any this year either…. hmmmm. Of course, I am no longer the grocery shopper in our house.
And traditions? Ah, yes. I agree with you!
My parents have those SAME mugs! And we used to drink eggnog out of them! Our tradition was to have eggnog (sprinkled with nutmeg) while we decorated the tree. I still drink it every year, but since Megan hates it, I’m all alone in my tradition. I have switched to low-fat, though.
While I love eggnog, my parents got my kids hooked on boiled custard. They are very similar in taste though. Unfortunately, DH hates the stuff so we rarely have it. I have a collection of Santa mugs too! Many came from my piano teacher through the years.
I’ve been resisting the ‘nog, too. I don’t know why, though — I’m still consuming the caloric content of a pony (I don’t know if that phrase works as well as “eating like a horse” but I wanted to try something different) so it’s not like I’m dieting or anything. And as you’ve mentioned, I’ve recently expressed some noxious notions about the holidays that would seem to indicate that I’d avoid taking part in Christmas traditions…but that’s not it, either. As much as I’m wary of certain aspects of the holidays, I take part in it as much as the rest. I have reasons to be grumpy but I do love the season.
Perhaps I’ll buy some ‘nog the next time I’m at the market. If I’m left with a bad taste in my mouth, I’ll wash it out with some rum.
Oh Harold, where have you been all of my life?! LOL
[…] An unexpected side effect: My usual cravings for holiday sweets are non-existent. Of course, this may have more to do with the fact that I’m too busy to even THINK about making cookies, much less figuring out how to make eggnog that doesn’t suck. […]