These are a few of my favorite things...

Christmas time is by far my favorite season of the year.  I say season because to me there exists Summer, Spring, Fall and Christmas.  I don't recognize the months of January and February...It's cold, rainy and there is no christmas tree in my living room to make the crappy weather worth having.

There are a few things that come out of hiding during the holiday season. These things I covet.  I yearn to possess. I wait all year for these seasonal goodies and when their sweet little faces start appearing I begin to consume them. EVERY. DAY.  They comfort me.  They tell me everything is going to be alright.  They swaddle me in their sweet and creamy-ness and when I'm with them the world is a better place.

Then, when Christmas is over, they leave me naked and alone....with love-handles.

These are the culprits ...

Pumpkin Spice Lattes and Peppermint Ice Cream.  Amen.

Although my pumpkin lattes rarely resemble the picture above and when I say rarely I mean never.  I think I prefer a 7-11 cup over the tree branch but that's just me.  Yes I said 7-11 and not Starbucks or Peet's or some other more "hip" coffee establishment.  I mean I would NEVER turn down a Pumpkin Spice Latte if I happen to be in one of these more "hip" coffee establishments but my tastes are rather rudimentary and 7-11 just happens to be right across the street from work.  Also, I'm not "hip."  It's just something I've come to accept. 

So each morning starts with a Pumpkin Spice Latte and ends with a nice bowl of Peppermint Ice Cream.  It's so creamy with a touch of mint and a small crunch of candy cane.  My toes curl at the thought. What perplexes me is that I don't even like peppermint very much.  Sure, I'll lick a candy cane until the sweetness gives way to hard-core mint and then I've had enough.  Hard-core mint just isn't my thing.   The beauty of this ice cream is that it's just like that first 3 sweet minutes of a candy cane or the first chew of peppermint gum.  It goes no further.  There is no hard-core but instead, a sweet creamy mix of mint and...well...cream.  Hence the love handles.  

I will continue to enjoy these tasty seasonal treats until they leave me about the time my christmas tree does.  As the christmas tree will leave a big gaping hole in my living room, they will leave this same hole in my heart/stomache and then I will have to go back to the gym until we meet again next year.