Egg nog and Bob's

I'm not sure how to convey this message to the fullest because mostly it's a feeling-- a warm, serene, peaceful, happy to be alive feeling. And it's because of egg nog--and Bob's. When we were little it seemed that things were so much less accessible. There were no SuperTargets or WalMart Supercenters, no big discount warehouse types, no Outlet malls, no big clearance sales like there are now. Also, the economy wasn't as robust and you just couldn't get "stuff" like you can now. In contrast, today, with the internet and all of the above mentioned locales, you can get just about anything you want, any time of the year, for any price you can afford. My parents were like just about every other parents and worked hard to make ends meet. We ate lots of chipped beef on toast and hot dogs and only for SPECIAL OCCASIONS would we get treats or special things.

It's the special occasions and special things that got me to writing. My dad made Christmas so special and we looked forward to it more than any other time of year. Of course there were the prayers around the advent wreath every night and going to church so that we knew what Christmas was really about...but I'm writing now about egg nog. Egg nog was something you could ONLY get at Christmas time. And this year, the first time I saw it in the store was in November. Let me tell you, that fact alone made me smile. I no sooner saw it than I put it in my cart. At least, I thought, egg nog has held out...when all the other things of the world can be gotten whenever you want, the grocery stores still wait to sell egg nog, at least until a few months before Christmas anyhow--good enough for me. I wouldn't want the egg nog if I could get it in July. Nope, it just would not be the same as having to wait. It's the waiting for the special occasions that makes some things so much more special. Oh how our children will never know this. But, God and the supermarket buyers willing, they will know it about egg nog. Even if I would only drink a little bit of it, I HAD to buy it. It reminded me of that anticipation and of Christmas when we were little and of my dad singing Christmas carols really loudly so Santa would come that night and of making Christmas caramels and dad magic-ing candy.

I went to SuperTarget shortly after my egg nog discovery. There in the candy aisle were none other than Bob's candy canes. Sure there are all varieties, colors, flavors, and brands, but I defy you to find another peppermint cane as deliciously sweet as a Bob's. I went to the store specifically for candy canes because I'm beginning to impart my love of Christmas to my daughter (Matt says he thinks she's 100% there) and she requested candy canes. When I brought them home she was just about as happy as she'd have been had I brought home a pony. I think that I appreciated the candy more than she. When you put that freshly opened stick side first into your mouth for the first time all year, you might as well be standing in a winter wonderland complete with bells jingling, snow falling lightly, fire crackling and Santa "ho-ho-ho-ing" in the distance.

I guess I am happy that some things are still special and are only around for special occasions. Don't tell me how you can get them on the internet in June because I simply won't look. All I know is that egg nog and candy canes weren't in the stores until November. All I know is that hardly anything compares to the first sip of egg nog and first lick of a candy cane after a year of waiting. All I know is that some things in life are worth waiting for and wouldn't be worth anything at all if you didn't have to wait for them. I'm so lucky that I learned this lesson when I was young. I have my parents, egg nog and Bob's to thank.