I don't know about you but I love Christmas. I find myself getting excited and starting to look forward to the holidays about the time I feel that first little bit of a chill in the air. I know it's getting to be time for sweaters, turtlenecks, scarves, mittens, cocoa, and the wonderfully flavored (and deliciously scented) Christmas coffees that my favorite shops are preparing to introduce for the season. Make the time this season to visit your local gourmet coffee shops one afternoon where you can just stroll around and inhale. You will be glad you did.

Some of my favorite wintertime concoctions revolve around harvest, holidays, and the clean crispness of the first snowfall. I'm really easy to please about food too! Which brings to mind one of my favorite flavors for coffee: pecan pie. I grew up in the southern part of the south. Yes I once claimed anyone born north of the I-10 Bridge was a Yankee. When you live that far south there is no snow to bring in the season but there are always pecans this time of year. I can remember sitting on my grandma's porch many days after school cracking pecans that she would use in pies, candies, and fudge. Pecan pie was always my favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas treat and I love the fact that I can enjoy those aromas, that flavor, and those precious memories even today with a cup of coffee (many fewer calories here than in that pie)!

There are easy ways to flavor your coffee in order to bring out the best of the holidays. Among the simpler ways (and less expensive I might add) are the following: add a peppermint stick, make coffee stirrers with some of your favorite holiday flavors on the spoon, add nutmeg and whipped cream, add maple syrup (just a touch will do but it adds great warmth to your cup), stir in a couple of red hots, add cinnamon, add vanilla or caramel syrup, or fresh cranberries.

There are probably an infinite number of combinations that could be created using the above items alone to flavor your coffee. Have fun trying out as many of them as possible this holiday season and sharing them with the family and friends that have blessed you all year. In fact, if you're looking for something a little different to do for a holiday get together, try having a coffee party where you offer your guests all kinds of wonderful coffee flavoring options to enjoy. This is definitely one way to share the warmth of the holiday season with friends and family.

If you're new to drinking coffee, Christmas offers a wonderful opportunity to try many new flavors, as there is absolutely nothing wrong with buying a coffee sampler for yourself or a gourmet coffee gift basket. It is great when you have the chance to give yourself a gift of warmth for the holiday season that will hopefully introduce you to a new flavor you will love long after the holidays have passed. Remember to come in out of the cold and warm up with a nice cup of coffee and a roaring fire.