It’s National Maple Syrup Day – Elf Yourself!

Today is National Maple Syrup Day, which immediately calls to mind two things: pancakes and Buddy the Elf. Elf has established itself as a modern Christmas classic and watching Buddy's New York adventure has become a bit of a tradition (one of my best friends likes to watch it on repeat). If I had to guess what Buddy’s favorite things are, based on quotes alone, I would say smiling (it’s his favorite), Santa (he knows him!) and syrup (syrup in coffee - why didn’t any of us think of that?). According to Buddy, Syrup is one of elf-kind’s four main food groups (besides candy, candy canes and candy corns, of course). Buddy loves syrup so much that he even carries a travel-size container of the condiment up his sleeve at all times. How might Buddy celebrate his second favorite holiday? I dug up the most unique syrup-related items I could find: 1. Maple Pepper - Combining two seemingly opposite flavors has worked out well before and maybe that would have been the case if the folks who invented this had left well enough alone. They didn't. While Original Maple Pepper doesn’t sound all that bad, whoever came up with the garlic and habanero versions of the stuff needs to find his way out of the kitchen. Then again, I’m not an elf. Buddy probably would’ve used Habanero Maple Pepper as liberally as Frank’s RedHot. 2. Maple Sap Water - For the times when you want that sweet maple taste without that gooey, stuck-in-your-mouth feeling. According to MapleSyrupWorld.com “when [maple syrup] first comes from the tree is actually crystal clear water - before it is boiled down to leave only thick syrup.” While I can imagine using sap water in recipes, drinking it straight is simply not for the faint of blood sugar. Buddy, on the other hand, would probably be chugging it during a holiday fun run. 3. The Syrup Smell - I’m not talking about candles or air fresheners, I think Buddy would find a way to summon that odd odor that floats in the New York City air from time to time. The scent, which invaded the city as recently as this past September, is rumored to come from a perfume factory in New Jersey. Buddy's girlfriend should take note. How will you celebrate National Maple Syrup day?