Candy... yummmmm.

It was late last night when I finished my post, so those of you who thought, "What the hell?", just know that this blog is about how I feel from day-to-day with those ugly little friends MS and Manic-Depression and living in my RV as well as my love affair with all things pictures & paper & glue, oh my!
Today I have run across the true ugliness in my house in the form of pastels.  No not pastel papers but those seriously cute M&Ms that are in my grandmothers candy jar.  While munching on a handful of those ugly cuties, it came into my mind that I will never lose weight.  And contrary to my whole-hearted belief that it's because of the Coca-Cola that I consume all day long, it's because of American Holidays.  Have you ever given a thought to how we celebrate our holidays?  Of course, in my opinion, Easter is the most wicked of them all in the form of our health - how ironic considering what the holiday represents, the most holy event of Christians.  But we have aisles and aisles of chocolate to honor this holiday.  Our family still make baskets for adults as well as the kids (13 & 11, but not outgrowing Easter baskets).  In the process of getting the little goodies for the baskets, there is extra candy bought for our candy jars.  Mine are M&Ms. 
M&Ms are the greatest candy ever invented in my opinion.  The fact that you can pour out a bunch of the little lovelies and eat them one at a time makes it seem as though you're not consuming a lot of candy - even if you eat an entire 1lb. bag.  Even if you pick up 2 or 3, you're still just eating a little candy.  But they are addictive and as with anything addictive, well you know how that works.  What's more, they are so pretty; coming in different little themes for every holiday - pastels for Easter, shades of pink & red for Valentines, greens & reds for Christmas, red white & blue for Independence Day - well you get the picture.  That theming makes them the perfect candy for the candy dish... the one sitting on your coffee table... between you and the TV... within arms reach... which you pass a dozen times a day.
And it's not just the M&Ms, each holiday seems to ensure we gain weight, even though the worst rap goes to that wonderful period between Thanksgiving and New Years.  That's the time we have those huge family meals, eat the most fast food while shopping, go out to parties, and love on stuffing and pie.  But then look at Independence Day and that awesome barbeque with potato salad and baked beans.  Or Valentines with those boxes of chocolate and going out to dinner.  Halloween of course is another candy buster.  But even Memorial Day and Labor Day are usually celebrated with family picnics; and, Fathers Day and Mothers Day with dinners eating whatever we want at wonderful restaurants. 
There are so many studies regarding what an unhealthy country we are with the world's highest percentages of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease.  But we are the land of the free and plenty.  And we do believe in celebrating everything from the contributions of workers (Labor Day) to the planting of trees (Arbor Day) to our own craftiness (Scrapbooking Day).  In fact there is probably a holiday for 300 of the 365 days a year (kidding, maybe).  Though not everyone, someone in this country celebrates more than a few of these holidays.  And when we celebrate, it is our national tradition to do so by eating.
Now, what is the point of this post?  Am I on a tirade against the candy companies or holidays or your personal habits?  Not at all!  I love a holiday and try to acknowledge as many as possible - in fact I get a little excited each time I find out about a new one!  Do I think we should change the way we observe holidays?  Absolutely not!  I love my M&Ms even more than the pink & yellow cupcakes on the counter.
No, this post is just an observance about our lives - about something that we rarely if ever think about.  It's a celebration of M&Ms and barbeque and stuffing.  It's an acclaimation of the country we live in and our right to celebrate however we want.  It's happiness and sunshine that we have the ability to buy chocolate bunnies for our kids.
However, I will be happy when Easter is over so that I can get back to eating numerous 100-calorie snacks per day.  Well, until next month when I get to start celebrating May Day's cupcakes, Scrapbooking Day's snacks, Cinco de Mayo's mexican food, Mothers Day's dining out, Memorial Day's picnic and any other holiday that I may find out about in the meantime.

Cheerio!

"Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." - Gordon B Hinckley