Last year I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t feeling ‘holly jolly’. It wasn’t in a grinchy way, I just didn’t have that warm, holiday zing buzzing through me like usual. This was something I had never experienced before and honestly, it was a bit unsettling.

The house was decorated, there was Christmas music on loop to help encourage those festive feelings – still nothing. I sincerely wondered if I had finally lost my spirit to all the chaos and materialism of the season, alongside the troubling political climate of late 2016.

As I was scrolling on Instagram one morning I saw so many festive treats, cookies, cakes and candies. But we all know, I’m not currently the greatest baker – the last thing I wanted to do was add to the stress of baking to my holiday slump.

Then I thought, “wait, what about adding some gingerbread spice to (one of my morning favorites) chia pudding?” It was already in the refrigerator all I had to do was add the spice. But, of course I didn’t have this on hand. So I sifted together some spices to create my own and then stirred them on into my chia pudding. Voila!

I was excited to have made something festive! But best of all, and I kid you not, a few bites in I found myself humming ‘Holly Jolly Christmas’ – success!

So, it seems that the flavors of the season play a crucial roll in sparking some of those festive feelings for me. Surprise, surprise! Of course food would be the missing link.

I hope that if you are feeling those Cindy Lo-Ho vibes or perhaps even a bit Grinchy, that this pudding can help elevate your spirit. Or further lift your holiday joy if you are already feeling full blown Buddy the Elf.

Happy Holidays and Enjoy!