Things have changed substantially from the Baby Boomer Christmases I remember of almost half a century ago. I have fond memories of candy canes and egg nog, and a beautiful sweet treat called Laura Secord's Mint Parfait which seems to have since disappeared from the face of the earth.
My father used to own a drugstore in our little town and every year just before Christmas he would bring home special goodies. Mint Parfait was one of my favorites. I wanted to get him some for Christmas this year but apparently Mint Parfait was even older than me, and nobody sells it anymore.
Ah well. I probably couldn't eat them anymore anyway. For that matter, my dad probably couldn't either.
Which brings me, after a few detours, to my boomer message of the day.
"Baby boomer" may include the word "baby" but ... baby, we're not as young as we used to be. Neither, it would appear are our digestive systems.
Some of us run into this unwelcome truth earlier, and in more dramatic ways, than others. But as even the youngest of boomers are nearing the magic age of 50 when some things seem to start to tick down, adjstments are in order for many of us.
We can put up with packing on weight or feeling sick most of the time because we don't want to pay attention to our bodies. Or we can get with the program.
And at Christmas time, that can mean changing the traditional menu we remember with such nostalgic affection from our youth.
You may have heard the expression, "accept no substitutes" ... But these are not the smartest words for us to live by.
I can't eat grains, and I'm not good with most other carbs either. So pumpkin pie has become a sort of pumpkin pudding. Crust is out the window.
Egg nog and hot chocolate have been replaced with plain and strawberry kefir. No, there's no nutmeg or cinnamon in these thick creamy drinks. I'm considering a nice coconut milk concoction with those spices, however.
Holiday spreads at my place are heavy on the ham and turkey, light on the rolls and stuffing, though these are on hand for the Carb Eaters in the house. Veggies are celery and baby carrots, not potatoes or corn.
Bowls of candy are mostly crowded out by mixed nuts. Soda has lost its place of ascendancy in favor of water with slices of lemon.
Do I miss the things on the taboo list? You bet I do. Do I cheat on occasion? Most certainly. But I'm not partial to stomach pain and a quiet digestive system is a happy digestive system.
So, today, I raise a glass of kefir to baby boomers everywhere. Eat, drink and be merry. And may all your Christmases be free of heartburn.
Visit Jody's website and blog at http://www.ncubator.ca and http://ncubator.ca/blogger