It is now 10 days away from Christmas and I am sure many of you are rushing around from place to place doing some last minute shopping or possibly even just starting to shop. There are a lot of school activities, corporate parties, parties with friends, plans for travel, and just plain craziness with everything going on at once. But this is meant to be a fun time of year so be sure to take time to relax and smell the roses…or shall I say PEPPERMINT!!! I must say that I was thrilled to bits when I walked into our new REI store here in Greenville and saw that the Cliff bar and GU now comes in Peppermint Stick. WOAH! I bought several and then paused to ask the lady at the checkout counter “what if I don’t like it?”. She assured me that they will take them back to exchange for another flavor if I don’t. I have been passionate about peppermint since I can remember. Actually three things…peppermint, vanilla and cocoa. Those three smells and tastes get all my senses going. I am not too much into floral, but that is only because I have the nose of a dog and my sniffer is very sensitive to smells, so florals give me a bit of a headache. This is the time of year where peppermint is all around. Many of us pine for that Peppermint Mocha or Latte to come out at Starbucks and Yankee Candle has their holiday scent “Jack Frost” that is fabulous. Jack Frost is a blend of peppermint and vanilla and makes your home smell so yummy…almost too yummy.

And then we have peppermint lotions, lip balms, peppermint bark, peppermint cake balls..oh and who can forget candy canes?? Is there something out there for the peppermint addict – peppermint anonymous? Peppermint isn’t all about taste and smell, it actually has several health benefits. There are even benefits for athletes. Peppermint oil is very helpful in digestion, can offer some relief to those with IBS, helps with headaches and stress, and has a cooling effect on the skin which is good for so many things such as sore feet from all that shopping OR running!! I recently stumbled across something from Peak Performance called the Sports Inhaler. It gives a pure peppermint boost and claims to improve speed, strength and endurance. Also claims to reduce fatigue by 25%…give me some of that!

OH and who can forget Peppermint Patty?

Well, I guess you get the idea. Peppermint is used in so many ways and loved by many. If you have any cool pepperminty stuff to share, please be sure to tell us 🙂 Meanwhile, have a super minty day!

Thanks for stopping by~

Lisa