´e Tutto Buono... It's All Good: Life's to short to drink Nasty Eggnog

I haven't been blogging very much lately because I made a promise to myself that this year I would really enjoy the Holiday season. To take the time. slow down, and savor all the activities and events.

And so I have been busy "savoring" the season. Making sure that everything I do--everything I participate in-- is done with the intent of doing it well and with an attitude of appreciation and a focus on enjoying fully the experience.

And this leads me to one of my favorite holiday time treats... eggnog. I know it's not good for you. I know it is sugar and calorie ladened. To which I say...whatever. My son shares my great love for this treat. But, knowing that this treat is not the best for us, I tried to "have my cake and eat it too" by purchasing an eggnog that was healthier.

This healthier version stated the following right on the bottle:

Made with natural milk

Made with natural eggs

80% less fat

75% less cholesterol

60% fewer calories

Hmmmmm.... sounds good. Plus it came in a semi clear container which allowed me to see that it actually had the right eggnog "consistency." Other healthier substitutions tend to be runny which translates to awful. So, I happily slapped that eggnog in my cart and brought it home. It usually only takes my teenaged son about 20 minutes to discover the new cart of eggnog in the fridge (it's like he can smell it), and about 2 days to snarf it all down.

This time, however, was different. A couple of days after my purchase I looked in the fridge and discovered that the eggnog had barely been touched. It had been opened and a glass or two poured, but it was still mostly full. Keagan had had a very busy week, so I thought that maybe he just hadn't been home enough to drink the eggnog. Yeah, more for me. So I picked out a favorite cup and poured myself a half cup of eggnog, grabbed a homemade biscotti cookie, and settled in to enjoy my treats by the fireplace. I took a bite of biscotti. Yum! Then I eagerly grabbed my cup in anticipation of washing down that yumminess of cookie with more yumminess in the form of my favorite eggnog treat. I took a sip-- and thought, hummm.... maybe this eggnog doesn't go well with my choice of biscotti flavor. So, I took another sip. Nope, the problem wasn't biscotti. This eggnog was awful.

Later on, when my son arrived home from school, I asked him about the eggnog. He said, "I'm not drinking that stuff. It's nasty." And, I had to agree. There was nothing redeeming about that eggnog. It was nasty. It was undrinkable.

Which brings me to my point, life is too short to drink nasty eggnog. You see, sometimes in life we look for the "better" option instead of just accepting that what we have already is good. Even if what we have contains some "extra calories." So, this Christmas I encourage you to take the time to stop and savor all the little moments. That you truly take time to enjoy your days instead of rushing through them. To enjoy what you do have, and not envy what you don't. Have an attitude of gratitude.

Well, although I am not going to drink the eggnog, I am loathe to throw it away and waste the money. So I have decided I will use it to make eggnog cookies. Sugar should help the flavor. I hope it doesn't ruin the cookies. And, I promptly went out and bought the unhealthy stuff, and had a glass with my son with no regrets.

I'll leave you with a few photos of some of the "Christmasy" activities I have been enjoying lately. Have a great week!

Decorating Casa Benintendi