I will admit, I don’t eat as much candy as I once did. But it’s Christmas. Some of those things just have to get in my belly. It’s tradition. At least that’s what I tell myself.
Some of what I used to think of as traditional Christmas candy is getting harder to find. Like barley candy. I googled pictures of barley candy and got mostly pictures of beer. I get the barley reference, but I don’t think that’s what I was sucking on in my childhood.
Many of you will know what I’m talking about. This particular barley candy did not come in little brown bottles. It was in various shapes. You could get any number of animals and figures, most all of which were far too large to fit in your mouth, yet somehow you were supposed to suck on these things.
There was no avoiding sticky fingers with this candy. It was guaranteed fingers would be sticky. And faces. And most of the furniture. And all the toys you were trying to play with at the same time. Then, when it was time to stop sucking on the monstrously over sized hunk of candy, you had to find something to put it in. Otherwise, it would adhere to whatever surface it was placed on, all the while collecting dust and pet hair and stray fir needles.
Really, I think the inventor of the chia pet used barley candy as an inspiration.
Barley candy was not fun. It was really pretty disgusting. But somehow, it is forever associated with all my fond Christmas memories.
Of course, there were always chicken bones. I feel bad for those who aren’t from around here and don’t have that association between chicken bones and Christmas. But I do have a question… did they get bigger this year? It seemed like they did. Maybe that got a new chicken bone machine that’s metric or something, but the chicken bones seem bigger. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. More chicken bone goodness is not a bad thing.
And having spent a few years in Newfoundland, there is one other candy that became part of Christmas… peppermint nobs. And they have to be the right kind. Your average candy cane may have a very similar taste, but the consistency isn’t the same. Proper peppermint nobs have a slightly softer feel.
For the next few days, all thoughts of blood sugar levels are banished from my head. Christmas candy has moved in. Now… how do you make sugar plums. I’m having visions.
