Choco and spice makes everything nice!!

The end of the year is around the corner, and for all that its worth, it’s time to put the good, bad and ugly behind us and brace ourselves for another year ahead with renewed vigor. There is an air or euphoria in the air on account of the festive season. This is also the time to reflect on the year gone by and celebrate having endured it all. A time to be grateful for all that we have and share the joy while making resolutions which of course are promptly broken in the first week of January itself.

 

Sharing or gifting may sound simple but can actually be quite a daunting task as people have very varied sensibilities. What compounds the problem is to put away hard feelings and extend a gesture of peace and good will as one can’t afford to take chances. However in all kinds of scenarios, there is one gift that works for everyone and every time, cuts across age, gender and cultural diversity too and that is everyone’s all-time favourite – chocolate  

 

No one (be it a grandparent or a toddler) can refuse chocolate and live to be happy about it. Come to think of it, I have had the misfortune of interacting with people who hate potatoes (wonder why???...I mean WHY???) but I have NEVER come across anyone who dislikes chocolate. The mere sight of it brings a smile to everyone’s face and immediately triggers off a rush of gastric juices!!

 

Chocolate IS and always WILL be the star attraction of any celebration. It is psychologically linked to comfort and a feeling of wellbeing. Besides the multiple health benefits, it awards us, chocolate can be mentally connected with the concept of a reward and is like a pat on the back for a job well done. Remember as kids, our elders would coax us to get chores done by bribing us with chocolates? I mean homework, messages of a truce etc. all could be conveyed when bribed with a chocolate. Bawling, screeching siblings too could be tactfully lured to quieten down with the magical enticement of a chocolate. Grandpa too, despite his diabetes could be sabotaged into telling us his not so famous stories, leaving us all in splits!

 

Listed below are some of my excuses for closing in on chocolate as a gift …..one for all!!

• When you gift someone chocolate, all wrapped up in fancy fare, they are bound to open it and invariably offer you a helping!! So there…why would anyone in their right senses refuse a return gift? I mean, after all sharing is caring! Chocolate definitely holds a profound emotional value for most people.
• The health benefits of chocolate are as many as its varieties. Chocolate is a memory booster, makes you less anxious, keeps you more alert, boosts metabolism and has a positive feel-good effect. It helps the heart and muscles by improving antioxidant activity, improves blood oxygen carrying capacity and suppresses appetite. Dark chocolate has also shown an ability to fight off skin damage due to its high flavonoid content. Chocolate is good for digestion and is known to enhance mood. So, the feeling of joy is not only psychological, but it is the chemical processes in the brain that is triggered off by chocolate that bring about these feelings. Frankly speaking, chocolate (now more so with so many zero sweetener substitutes) can be an extremely healthy gifting option.
• Considering chocolate is so versatile, it is no surprise that its popular with everyone and anyone. You will always chance upon the right chocolate for a friend, colleague, family member, boss, romantic partner…. Just about everyone out there! The lure of chocolate is somehow irresistible! Chocolate finds its way into deserts, baked items, drinks and shakes, confectionaries etc…even in children’s shampoos and erasers! You simply can’t escape from chocolate.
• Chocolate is mesmerizes everyone especially during festivals or special occasions. It seems to be always around to tug your emotional! They are available no matter what you’re budget, taste or cynical preferences.
• For the best part, I find it almost impossible to resist chocolate. No matter what my mood is, chocolate always manages to lift my spirits! Never is my fridge void of at least two variants of the world’s most famous gift…but I can assure you, I’m always in a mood to share!

 

Take away.

Chocolate the word remains in any language!! An experience, a friendship, that simply can’t be explained in words. It’s a feeling that’s overpowering and exciting! Anytime is a good time for chocolate and any place is a good place for more! Chocolate leads path to peace, love, friendship, passion or simply put …acceptance.

 

Nothing like a good old chocolaty treat. All this talk of chocolate has just triggered my craving for a chocolate so I guess it time for me to raid my fridge.  

So long!! And compliments of the season!

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