If you’re looking for something warm and cozy to snuggle up with this holiday, why not make it a delicious cup of homemade organic hot cocoa?

The recipe for Organic Hot Cocoa Mix below takes just minutes to stir together, and stores easily to keep you warm all winter long. Just add a few tablespoons of the mixture to hot milk and you’re good to go.  This recipe doubles or even triples easily, so it makes a great gift for friends and neighbors. too.

Organic Hot Cocoa Mix

2 cups organic raw cacao (or cocoa) powder

1 cup Turbinado sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla powder

1/4 teaspoon Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Ground Cinnamon

Mix all together in a large bowl. Divide mixture and spoon into 2 glass jars, each with a tight fitting lid. Makes about 3 cups of the mix (about 12 servings)

To Make 1 Cup Hot Cocoa:

1 cup milk, almond milk or soy milk

3 tablespoons Organic Hot Cocoa Mix

Warm milk (or almond milk or soy milk) in a small pan over medium heat until hot.  Add 3 tablespoons of the Organic Hot Cocoa Mix to a mug, then pour hot milk over mixture.  Stir to combine.  Goes great with a touch of whipped cream on top.   Add coffee to the mix to create an organic cafe mocha. Also goes great with a splash of rum, bourbon, Kahlúa or Baileys Irish Cream, if you’re so inclined.

It’s a Christmas tradition that has several “stories” to it. And if you’ve never heard about the Christmas pickle, it’s not too late to take relish in the custom (okay, I couldn’t help that one!)

It all started…maybe, in Germany. But many experts say that’s just not true. In fact, historians have rejected any connection between Germany and the gherkin.

Others say Spain. Two boys were kidnapped by an evil Innkeeper and put in a pickle barrel.

Well, maybe not.

The most colorful pickle story of all has the custom originating during the Civil War.

Private John C. Lower was in the 103^rd Pennsylvania Infantry. And he was captured in 1864 and held at Andersonville prison. Near death from starvation, he begged a guard for a pickle to eat.

Granted his pickle, Lower survived his captivity. And when he returned home, he began the practice of placing a pickle in the family tree. The first child to find the pickle hiding in the branches would receive an extra present.

Now don’t think your tree pickle has to be the edible kind. There are now zillions of (quite pretty) pickle ornaments to continue this tradition with.

And if you happen to live in the vicinity of Berrien Springs, Michigan, stop by for the yearly Christmas pickle festival and parade. It’s something that’s been going on there for over 20 years.

But the best part of the pickle isn’t really a Christmas story or an extra present.

A true, fermented pickle can be a real health food. It’s an excellent source of probiotics, the “friendly” bacteria that has been found to protect against infections, help your GI health, and even strengthen your immune system.

So maybe that’s the real “present” we get from the pickle.

On Christmas and every other day.

Sometimes during the shorter days its nice to come in from the cold and have a warm mug of something or an easy project you can put your hand to. With this project you can have both!

Recently after coming in from a wet chilly hike, I was feeling a little low. I remembered that my mother used to make these orange clove pomanders for Christmas. Sometimes we would find them in our stockings, sometimes they sat on the mantle, I think one year we had one hanging from the doorway with mistletoe attached to the underside. They smell great and there are quite a few variations that lift your senses and spirits. There are lots of ways to decorate them. Let your creative instincts be your guide. The ones my mother and grandmother made had large ribbon tied around the outside – package style, and they were hung by an extra loop at the bow. The cloves were tight around the orange so there was no skin showing, but like I said, there are a lot of variations on that theme. I’ve seen people use the cloves very sparingly in a pattern between the ribbon sections; others use them to cover every inch of the fruit. I chose to leave a little space between the cloves, because as the orange dries out, it shrinks and the space is taken up over time. All you have to do is hang it or set it out in the open and let nature take its course.

My husband came in just as I finished pressing the last cloves in place. His first question was, “What smells so good?” Even though I loved the look and smell, I decided not to wait and let mine dry, but instead to brew it into several batches of clove tea. Cloves are the thing if you want a great antioxidant. I was surprised to discover that the hot aromatic water is really pleasant all on its own. No sweetener needed. Love it! I also used the clove water to make my oatmeal and raisin breakfast the following day.

The thing I like most about this edible ornament is that it is simple and organic. You can do it in about a half hour by yourself or with a friend, – or in stages if you want with smaller kids. It makes a cheery gift, and if you don’t brew it, a nice drawer or room freshener.

It gave me the warm fuzzies remembering my Mom and Grandma as I pressed the cloves in place and drew the ribbon through the sweet smelling fruit. Its something you can do that’s naturally good for body and soul.

Spending 20 years as an ER doctor, I could list dozens of reasons why alcohol isn’t really good for you! Heck, I think we all know and acknowledge that alcohol is dangerous, thus the caution to “drink responsibly”.

Well, what about alcohol and sleep?  About 20% of adult Americans report using alcohol to help them fall asleep.  Falling asleep at “the wheel” is a really bad thing  … but a drink, at home, when you are spending a minute to relax before bed is responsible and kind of nice.  And, most people will absolutely report that they were able to fall asleep quickly!  So, what’s the problem?

Researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine reported the results of a 5 year study on the relationship between alcohol consumption and sleep.   The study looked at social and binge drinking, not at subjects who were alcohol dependent (“alcoholics”).
Here are some of the key findings:
●   Alcohol affects “sleep homeostasis”  –  the brain’s built-in mechanism that regulates sleepiness and wakefulness.
●   Sleep homeostasis is how the body balances the need for sleep based on feedback from the entire body.
●   Different levels of a particular communication and metabolic molecule (adenosine) will be circulated in the bloodstream during proper times of wakefulness and sleepiness.
●   Alcohol directly disrupts this “normal” circulating levels of adenosine.
●   Alcohol consolidates and increases the quality and quantity of Non-REM sleep in the first half of a normal sleep cycle.
●   Alcohol causes sleep disruption in the second half of the normal sleep cycle, when  the majority of REM sleep occurs.

What does this mean for us?  Alcohol may help us fall asleep faster but we decrease the amount of restorative REM sleep.  During REM sleep, most of our body repair mechanisms are activated.  When REM is disrupted, physical health is negatively impacted.

Based on this study, one might conclude that we should never drink alcohol!  I really think this goes back to “drink responsibly”.  Be aware and use good judgment.  In Karen’s blog she suggests that we should have our last drink (or maybe our only drink) about 4 hours before bedtime.  That is good advice.  However, there may be a very good exception to that rule  …. Christmas Eve!

If you have small children, or a house full of guests, you know that you’ll be getting up very early on Christmas morning.  It’s a beautiful time of day!  The problem too often is that by the time you do everything you need to do after the kids are asleep, and before they come excitedly knocking on your door  …. usually before dawn  …. you are not going to have a full night’s sleep!  A Christmas Eve drink to close the day might be a good idea!  Hey, if it helps you fall asleep faster, and you are not going to get much REM sleep anyway, go for it!  Now could be a good time to treat yourself to a festival hot toddy, or some eggnog with a splash of rum or bourbon, or a great glass of wine.  Merry Christmas!  Have a good winter’s nap!

Additional Resource:

Disrupted REM Sleep

Homemade Slow Cooker Apple Cider
•10 medium organic apples, any mix you prefer!
•1 large organic orange
•3 Wild Oats cinnamon sticks
•1 whole organic nutmeg
•2 teaspoons whole organic cloves
•1/2 teaspoon whole organic allspice
•12-16 cups water
•½ cup organic brown sugar (or your desired organic sweetener*)

Directions:
1. Clean apples and orange and cut them into quarters and place in slow cooker. There is no need to remove peels, core, stem or seeds at this point.
2. Add cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Cover with water, filling the slow cooker until it is nearly full. Cook on high heat for 3-4 hours, or on low heat for 6-8 hours.
3. One hour before the cider is finished, use a potato masher to mash the apple and orange pieces. Finish cooking for one more hour.
4. Strain out the apple cider juice into a clean pitcher or pot – using a fine mesh strainer or even cheese cloth to get as much juice as possible. Stir in the brown sugar until it is dissolved, tasting as you go to get the sweetness level you desire.