In Decembers past, I have quickly burnt out over too much on the calendar, too much on my list, and too much sugar. This year I tried a different approach: I made a conscious list of the "memory making essentials" that were really important to me and my family. This includes a few activities and foods that I don't want to miss out on. Everything else can go. This has really helped me to not feel bad about having to say no- whether it's to activities or events we are invited to, or rich foods that aren't on my list. At the very top of that list though, is our December first tradition. We started the tradition of decorating the tree and house on December first years ago when Connor and I were newlyweds, and about five years ago we added in homemade hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows to the mix and have not looked back. The hot chocolate is good, but the real winner is the combination of the two, with the homemade marshmallows melting inside. If I'm going to give myself one pass on sugar, this would be it.....not just because it's amazing (I have only had one hot chocolate from a gourmet chocolate shop that rivals it), but because of the memories surrounding it.

 Ps. This tastes best with board games or a christmas movie.