confessions

I have a slight addiction

    No, it's not drugs, alcohol or tobacco products.  It is much worse than that.

    I am addicted to Christmas cookies.

    Sure, laugh if you will.  But it is a problem.

    I am not talking about the ones we bake at home.  Why?  Because we can bake them any time we want.

    I am talking about Santa Claus's Favorites by Salerno.

    These used to be called Jingles.  They are an anise flavored cookie that comes in various shapes, like trees, wreaths, bells....typical Christmas symbols.  Colorful sugar crystals cover each one and a true eating experience is licking a finger and getting the crystals out of the bottom of the container and into your mouth.

    When I was a kid growing up in Chicago I begged my parents to buy them at Christmas, and my mom usually did.

    But as I grew older, and moved out of the city, it became harder and harder to find them.

    I remember one year my co-teacher, Kim, came to school with a couple of boxes of them that she found in a store somewhere.  That was a treat.

    Now I can find them at Woodman's, although I have not seen them at Walmart. 

I bought 2 boxes last week and tonight I went to look for my cookie container and I could not find it!  Did I already eat an entire box?  I looked, and looked, and looked and then opened my second box for my nightly fix.

    Julia came upstairs and asked me why I opened box 2, and when I said I must have eaten all of box 1, she reached into the pantry and found the first container.  Now I have 2 containers!!

    My other weakness is a German cookie I can find at Aldi....Butter Specklemaus, or something like that.

    A few hears ago Emily bought me something like 54 packages of it when they went on sale over Christmas.  I nursed them through the summer, but the next Christmas I could not find them!  They are back this year and I have gone through 2 packs of those.  Now I am waiting for them to be reduced. I will stock up for the year!

    I won't even mention Malomars!

    Of course, you can't have cookies without eggnog......topped with a little whipped cream and some nutmeg sprinkled over it all.  

    Sorry, I have to go.  I hear a cookie calling.  I wonder which one will give me my fix tonight.

Peace and Love