Pumpkin spiced me and you

?Through the ages, the prophecy told that the spice will rise…. Imagine this, pumpkin-spiced Christmas cookies, pumpkin-spiced deodorant, pumpkin-spiced boys and pumpkin-spiced girls, pumpkin-spiced you and pumpkin-spiced me.? ?Pumpkin Spice, the trailer for the (fake) movie (youtube.com/watch?v=Jv8agWUP7Kw)

Latte. Muffin. Cookie. Dip. Beer. Pancake. Scone. Smoothie. French Toast. Donut. Ice Cream. Pringles. Pick your pumpkin poison.

Everybody loves pumpkin spice. Don?t doubt it. (And don?t knock it. They might come for you.) No. Really. Everybody loves pumpkin spice.

Nielsen published a report about pumpkin spice proving that we Americans, in our quaint obsessive way, may be just a touch taken with pumpkin spice. The actual pumpkin, not so much. In Neilsen?s words ?Americans dig the flavor, not the vegetable.?

In 1987 each one of us consumed an average of 3 pounds of actual pumpkin per year. In 2014 that rose to an average of 5 pounds per person. Compare that to the stats on one area of hot pumpkin sales, pumpkin flavored beer, which jumped from the manufacture of two brands in 2000 to 65 brands in 2013.

If you are on Pinterest, you are well aware that?s the tip of the iceberg. If pumpkin spice is what you want, pumpkin spice is what you will get. The power of suggestion has never been stronger than through anything ?spice.? In the past two weeks I have already succumbed to two pumpkin-spice lattes and a batch of pumpkin chocolate chip muffins. And as a glutton for punishment, I can confidently say that I?ve only just begun.

The reality is all of this goes deeper than the aroma and taste. It has been reported that all of those groovy pumpkin spice vibes are rooted much deeper, way down in our memories and hearts and in the feelings they attach themselves to.

For instance, another cozy spice, cinnamon, according to the Washington Post, ?urges us to cuddle up with one another.? It is one of the few scents that even an aging nose can detect and it ties us to our parents, elderly relatives and the people who make us feel safe.

These warm and spicy scents and flavors don?t make us hungry. They make us nostalgic.

I can vouch for this. There is no homier time in my house than the first minute itty-bitty hint of fall. Before visions of sugar plums dance in our heads, (which trust me, are currently polishing their dancing shoes for our pre-Fall Christmas-anticipation countdown,) we are dreaming of hoodies and afghans, movies and a crackly fire.

The Post report added: ?Maybe it?s the cooling weather, or the fact that we all remember our school days, but the pumpkin scent seems to hit consumers on a deeper level?it?s so evocative of the emotions we associate with the season: crisp air, hunkering down on chilly nights and anticipating the Christmas season…. When fall hits, we?ve reached a six-month-long golden period that ends in the New Year.?

A six-month-long golden period. Oh yes! It?s a fact, if you?re ever going to get to the Christmas Eve eggnog and New Year?s Eve champagne, you have to go through the pre-fall/fall/post-fall pumpkin spice latte. It?s just the natural law of order.

Why fight it? Get a mug and a Snuggie, a pumpkin muffin with cream cheese frosting, maybe a cup of pumpkin soup if you?re into that kind of thing, cuddle up and watch the movie trailer of the obsessed. ?Pumpkin Spice, The (fake) Movie.? (Link in the quote above.)

There?s nothing to be afraid of. Like the movie trailer says, ?Life is boring, spice it up.?

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