Written by One of my favorite holiday traditions growing up was getting to have a glass of eggnog during the season. My mom would make it each year around Christmastime. Of course, this was the non-alcoholic version and it would be years later before I discovered you could add a bit of bourbon. The kind made from scratch is like a sweet thick milk, and it was like getting to drink ice cream out of a glass. This time of year eggnog appears everywhere in the supermarket, from the thick pre-made versions with a texture a bit like latex paint to new versions of foods you never hoped would taste like eggnog. Many people I meet seem to either love or hate eggnog. There’s rarely a person who simply expresses ambivalence unless they just happen to be someone who hasn’t tried it yet. When mentioned in a group, the suggestion is immediately met with either huge smiles or faces that look like they’ve just sucked on a lemon. But I still have a fondness for it to this day.
The main change is that as an adult, I realize that this drink is quite a calorie bomb and not particularly good for you. This kind of ruins it a bit as it’s not something I even considered as a child. That, and the media publicized fears regarding the dangers of using uncooked eggs sort of put a damper on the whole experience. But when we decorate our tree each year, we still have a glass. This year, rather than make it, we tried the Trader Joe’s Light version, which was actually rather good. Especially, when it was cut with a bit of Maker’s Mark and had some nutmeg grated on top. After we have our ceremonial glass, however, the rest of it was left to sour in the fridge. I initially thought we’d have another glass at some point, but for some reason, I couldn’t break the tradition in my mind. One glorious evening of a treat only sampled once a year is simply how it was done in my family.
As the lights glimmer and grow a little brighter somehow on the days leading up to Christmas, I’m incredibly happy. Thrilled to be in the midst of a season that reminds me not just about who I am, but who I was. The little boy who dreamed big dreams and wanted to change the world. The kid who tried learning everything and wasn’t content with being told he couldn’t do something. The teenager who didn’t yet know why he was so awkward with girls. The young man who wanted to advance in his career and make an impact on the world. All of these memories swirl through my mind, complete with the various gifts that arrived on each year’s milestone. Tokens that help me remember a whirlwind of time that can be so easily forgotten. Each of those moments bringing me to the middle-aged man I am today. Who still wants to change the world, but takes life a bit slower now having learned that all good things will happen when the time is perfectly right. Like having a bit of eggnog.
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About the DoodlewashDa Vinci Paint Co.: Da Vinci Yellow, Quinacridone Red, Terra Cotta, and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. |
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Beautiful. Love the colors you chose and as always a great story.
Thanks so much, June!! 😃💕
Nice mug of eggnog Charlie..great reflection on the glass..
Thanks so much, Pamela! 😃💕
This painting is definitely one of my favorites! The colors are unique but somehow perfect. I especially like the yellow reflection on the rim and base.
My favorite this month is the tinsel one! 😁
Aww thanks so much, Sharon! 😃💕 It’s so difficult to paint milk. I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Wah! I’m staying away from eggnog (which I love in almost any form) and you’re leaving some to sour. How is that fair, lol? I’ll enjoy your calorie-free painting and tell myself it satisfies more than just the eyes!
lol… sorry for the temptation, Sandra!! 😊 hehe.. but actually the light version we got at Trader Joe’s was really delicious with low calories 0 Saturated fat. It was like sorcery! 😃💕
Charlie, we can see that you’re feeling very happy this season, because most of your paintings have a rainbow-shiny sheen to them! Reminds me of little kids skipping to school all bright and shiny and happy; it’s delightful! As for eggnog . . . I think I’m one of those people who make the face like they tasted a lemon, haha! 😁😁😁
Aww thanks, Miste! 😃💕 Yeah… this season gets a bit of extra sheen indeed! And yeah… it’s been fun to see the comments justifying what I wrote! LOL
You’re very welcome! And yes, indeed, you are justified! 😁💕
The eggnog mug is especially pretty because of the hint of colors, making it look aglow. You seem to be remembering the confusion of being young, something we all go through, mixed with the excitement of all the wonder of the holidays. So much brought back with a cup of egg nog.
Yes, it’s such a time of reflection… and I’m not referring to the shiny ornaments! hehe 😃💕 It’s equally thoughts of leading into the New Year and wondering just what waits around the corner!
Yes! A favourite in our household too. I loved it. It somehow didn’t transition into married life, probably because we became summer-oriented in our celebratory foods for Christmas.
Awww yay, Janina!! 😃💕 Glad you’re a fan as well!
This is a really nice painting of something that I’ve never tried.
Eggnog is not a part of my/our “cultural milieu” and the content of the glass reminds me of hot caramel milk that we love making during the Winter season.
In sum, when I’m looking at your painting of Eggnog while thinking of Caramel Milk, it adds on faces with a huge smile.
Charlie, thank you for extending my “milieu” – I must look for instructions on how to make Eggnog, just to try it 🙂 🙂
Thanks, Violeta! 😃💕 Though really, now I can only think of caramel milk!!! How have I never tried that??! Sounds delicious!! Please message me the recipe!
Love your painting and your post. You have a talent with painting glass!
Aww thanks so much, Delores! 😃💕
Having never sampled it, I’ve always wondered what eggnog tastes like. Drinking ice cream out of a glass? I’m in! 😉 Well, it’d be hard to turn this particular sample down! Beautiful.
hehe… thanks, Jacob! 😃💕 If you ever tried this it would be a total trick as it’s pretty much the ingredients for ice cream without the whipping. lol So, yeah… you should try this as well. Please add it to your ever growing list! 😉
Looks so yummy! Wonderful job on painting it.
Thanks so much, Teri! 😃💕
Yup, love the nog. It’s something that one yearns for until that glass then one is usually enough. IT’s great but it’s, as you said, a calorie bomb. Not sure if I’ll get a glass this year but I already crave it!
Hehe… yeah… this one is a one glass sort of thing for sure! But it’s totally worth the calorie bomb!! lol 😃💕 That said, our light Trader Joe’s version was not really that decadent, but still delicious!
Damn, I forgot to add nog to the grocery order list. Gotta call that mistake in!!! hehehehe.
hehe!! You do!! lol
Now that looks like a glass of deliciousness! MMmmmmm! I remember what eggnog tastes like, but no dairy for me………so I made some with coconut milk (the thick kind) and enjoyed it, but found out coconut milk doesn’t like me either sob 🙁 Ah, well, I’m not taking in all those calories……. ;-l
Oh wow! A few folks mentioned almond milk… does that work? Eggnog is lovely, but I have to admit that one glass really does it for me each year! hehe 😃💕
What a great story and glass of Eggnog!
Thanks so much, Tom! 😃💕
Oddly enough my mom didn’t make eggnog, she actually bought every year. Which if you know anything about my mom is very odd indeed. Hmmm… now I want eggnog and to ask mom why she never made it.
Hmmm… interesting! hehe… maybe she was scared of the raw eggs! Ask her and report back! 😉