The Privileged Life: The Sweetness of Christmas

“And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” (Ephesians 5:2)

Christmas is such a sweet time of year…sugary sweet.

If the shelves in Walmart and our kitchen are any indication, I’m guessing more sweet goodies are purchased and created during the Christmas season than at any other time of year. 

According to Statista.com, total world consumption of sugar for the 2023-24 year will top 180 million metric tons—about 2.2 billion pounds.¹ In the United States, we gobble it down at more than a cup a day…which is at least two to three times the recommended daily amount, per the American Heart Association.² All of that adds up to more than 60 pounds of added sugar consumed annually per American. With sugar in four-pound packages these days, that’s about 15 bags of sugar a year. Whoa!

If you open our pantry and fridge, they’ll bear witness to our own conspicuous consumption. Chocolate-covered cherries, French lemon cookies, pound cake with chocolate gravy, biscotti, Italian cream cake, baklava, chocolate truffles, eggnog, Little Debbie cakes (what Tennessee home can exist without them?), caramel corn, the Barefoot Contessa’s raspberry crumble bars (absolutely fabulous recipe), and more have traipsed through our house this season, leaving sugary footprints and added pounds in their wake.

Most of these are gifts, but I’m guilty of purchasing/making some…definitely guilty of eating a lot of it. And Christmas Day will probably bring my mom’s nutmeg teacakes, my mother-in-law’s orange-slice nut cake, and my husband’s chocolate-ganache-covered cream puffs. I can’t escape the temptations! 

This true confession of our sugar indulgence has given me pause to think. January looms just around the corner, and unless I begin to curb my sweet tooth now, the cold-turkey-no-sugar-allowed-diet I typically adopt for the new year is going to be a rude awakening. 

Here are a few of my thoughts—you and I still have a little time to act on them, if you’re in the same sugar-addiction predicament:

• Begin cutting back on sugar today. Avoid sweets this coming week so you can enjoy a special indulgence on Christmas Day, and limit your intake afterward. Continue the habit of fasting from sugar six days a week in the new year. 
• Think outside the cookie tin for Christmas gifts of foodstuffs. Bless your friends and family with flavored olive oil, a charcuterie tray, fruit basket, dried fruits with nuts, coffee/tea, or a cheese ball with crackers (see recipe below). Shop in the deli/produce sections of the grocery store.
• When dining out, skip the dessert and leave a generous tip instead. Tell servers how much you appreciate their service, and wish them a merry Christmas.
• Give away the amount you’d spend on a sweet coffee or soft drink to a charity. Make your own beverage at home (without sugar, of course), and drop the change in a Salvation Army red kettle. 
• Donate to Samaritan’s Purse, Compassion International, other sites that give nourishing food to needy people around the globe. Donate specifically to agriculture education projects so that poverty-stricken people can raise healthy gardens, trees, livestock, and bees.
• Most importantly, make Christmas truly a sweet season by simply saying the name of Jesus Christ. Bring up His name in conversations as you offer blessings to others, thank clerks at retail places, and join in worship within His church. When we speak of Him, we remind others that this is HIS birthday, HIS celebration, HIS good news and wonderful story. There is no sweeter gift we can offer to others, no better sweetness for our own souls. 

Are you stuck in the same sugar boat with me? Do you have any good suggestions to offer, anything that works for you? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Let’s focus on Jesus and His glorious presence in our lives this season…and let His sweetness satisfy us all!

Lord Jesus, I lift You up in adoration for who You are—You are the One who satisfies my soul with Your goodness and love. How I praise You for coming to my world as my Savior, and may I constantly remind myself and others that You are the Light of the world. Help me to lift up Your name above all names, to worship You every moment of this sweet season. In Your blessed and holy name, Amen.

Herbed Cheese Spread

• 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1 (8-oz.) pkg. shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 T. finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 clove garlic, minced (or, use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. of minced garlic)
• 2 tsp. milk
• 1 tsp. red wine vinegar or plain vinegar
• 1/2 to 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 tsp. dried marjoram or oregano
• 1/8 tsp. dried or fresh chopped thyme
• 1/8 tsp. dried basil
• 1/8 tsp. dried tarragon
• 1/8 tsp. dried dill (optional)
• Cheese puffs or nacho corn tortilla chips, processed/pounded into powder (or paprika)
• Green stem cut from green bell pepper and fresh parsley leaves (or, plastic holly decoration)
• Table-water crackers or buttery crackers

Combine all but last three sets of ingredients in a small bowl; beat with electric mixer until fluffy. Pull out two long strips of clear plastic wrap, and make a cross with them. Transfer mixed cheese to plastic wrap, pull wrap up over it, and shape into ball; cover completely and chill in refrigerator until firm. 

For autumn events, shape the cheese into a slightly flattened ball while still in the wrap; unwrap, and with a table knife, add creases to the sides to create the “pumpkin.” Press spoonfuls of powdered cheese snacks onto side of the pumpkin to make it orange-yellow in color. Top with pepper stem and parsley leaves. For Christmas, shape cheese into a round ball, sprinkle with paprika, and top with holly. Transfer to serving tray, and surround with crackers. Serves 10-12. Recipe from Nancy C. Williams

¹https://www.statista.com/statistics/249681/total-consumption-of-sugar-worldwide/

²https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/sugar/how-much-sugar-is-too-much#:~:text=American%20adults%20consume%20an%20average,for%20men%20and%20women%20respectively

© Copyright 2023 Nancy C. Williams, Lightbourne Creative (text and photography)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. #Christmassweets #sweetsforChristmas #sugarconsumption #sugarsubstitute #nosugarrequired #healthychoice #Christmashealth #cheeseballrecipe #barefootcontessa