Use Christmas Sales for Later Giving

As you know, Sisters and Brothers, your Chocolate Priestess not only loves great chocolate but also looks to save money.  A few days after Christmas, on Monday, December 28, 2009, to be exact I found this in my local Kroger store.  A selection of candies from Russell Stover wrapped in a red Christmas style paper.  It was on half price sale and they had two varieties of the assorted style left: milk chocolate only and this mix of milk and dark.  To top off the savings I had a coupon for an extra dollar that was good until February.  I ended up saving almost 70% on this box.

Then I got home and I thought a nice treat for a group of folks and giving that Saturday, our Sacred day was soon, I saved it.  But on Saturday when I opened it I discovered another plastic wrapped box inside, look to the left hand photo.  As  you can see it is a simple box of Russell Stover that you buy at any time of the year to give as a gift or keep for yourself.  If you store this in a cool, dry place it will last for a long time, almost the end of 2010 the box claimed.  That means if you can find other Christmas treats  you can either repackage or simply remove the holiday wrapping from, you have gifts for the upcoming months.  I'm sure this isn't what companies want me to tell you, but consider it a suggestion.

Of course, how are these candies?  You don't want to buy it, good price or not, if the candies are of poor quality.  I shared these and I thought the majority of them tasted, smelled, and felt just fine.  The darks were more bitter, the milk chocolate a touch creamy, the fillings never too soft or hard.  There were 22 pieces but 21 varieties inside -- the peanut butter crunch had two pieces.  Half of them were dark, half milk chocolate.  If you flip the label upward you have a list of the candies themselves.  One of my family members has a nut allergy so we need to be careful and while most manufacturer says to be cautious because even things without nuts may have nut residue from the equipment, that is almost never the case for this family member.   Except in this box.  We were careful not to give him the nuts but he still had a slight allergic reaction.  Don't worry, he's fine, he stopped eating and in a few hours was fine but he was angry at the company whom I don't blame -- we took the risk.

So if you are thinking ahead to Valentine's Day or other holidays, keep turning in to The Chocolate Cult because I will be bringing you reviews of possible gifts every week throughout the year.  And remember, studies suggest that looking at photos of desserts actually makes you less likely to chose them to eat later because part of your desire has all ready been filled by looking at and reading about the treat.  So got a craving but trying to keep a New Year's Resolution?  Read The Chocolate Cult to get your fix then eat some protein, fiber, fruits, or veggies as a snack.

Sisters and Brothers, may you too take the time to slowly appreciate what the Divine and human ingenuity have offered you in chocolate.