December 24, 2017       Christmas Eggnog

         “What the heck,” I said out loud as I grabbed the eggnog out of the grocery cooler.  Other shoppers stopped to look at me and I smiled saying,

“What’s a few pounds over Christmas.”

It has been years since I had brandy laced eggnog because it would pack the pounds on.  I didn’t glance back, but I hoped all the bystanders were throwing caution to the wind and grabbing their calorie laden eggnog as well.

         The brandy was at home, as I had just imported it from Massachusetts last October when I cleaned out my Mom’s house.  The lower cabinet right of the kitchen sink was a skinny cabinet designed to hold cookie sheets and trays in the back and a square box in the front which held liquor bottles.

         Up at the front was the Christian Brother’s Brandy I’d purchased in December, 2010, when I flew home the first Christmas season after my Dad had died to check on my Mom’s well-being.  After grocery shopping the first day I swung into the liquor store asking Mom,

         “How about a bit of brandy to go with our eggnog?”

         “Sounds good,”  Mom smiled.

         Every night, as sort of a ritual we had a small brandy laced eggnog to chase the chill away after dinner.  I’d pour it under Mom’s guidance, she only wanted a bit of brandy.  I’d stir it with a flourish and then give the top a dust of nutmeg and carry our glasses into the living room.      

         We thought we were being so naughty – but the bottle hardly showed that we tapped it.

         When I ran up on it the day of cleaning, I lifted it up to check the level and smiled about our eggnogs.  I stuck the almost full bottle of brandy in my suitcase and got back to cleaning.  The almost full bottle would go home with me stashed in the trunk of the car.  Oh, yeah, I know all about the ‘can’t take open liquor bottles across state lines’ caution.  And, I wouldn’t be breaking just one state law, I had several states to travel through before I got back to North Carolina.

         When I got home, I splashed brandy in pork roasts and beef stew and even splashed some in home-made onion soup.  I actually made myself a couple of brandy Manhattans near Thanksgiving.  So, the level has been  slowly dropping.

         Tonight I had an impromptu dinner guest and I offered her an after dinner brandy eggnog.  Oh, that got a big smile.

         “Sounds great!”

         As I made it, same way, stirring the brandy with a flourish into the eggnog and dusting it with the nutmeg, I told her how old the bottle was – vintage 2010, and I relayed the story of how I had flown home to check on Mom six months after Daddy had died.  I called it the “welfare” check.  And, then couple months ago, I’d found the almost full bottle when cleaning out her house and brought it home.

         My guest had lost her Mom in the last few years and we clinked glasses as she called out a special toast.

         The brandy bottle is getting low now Mom, but the memory of our after dinner brandy eggnogs is as clear as ever.

Merry Christmas, Mom, I miss you.