SRSCRO December 2021 Update

Good Cheer!

Eggnog (spiked)

Eggnog is a drink that stirs up memories for most people, and you either love it or hate it. However you feel about it personally, it's hard to deny that it is embedded in holiday traditions. It's been that way for centuries, and the drink has taken on many spiked and nonalcoholic variations as it traveled the world.

Some say “nog” comes from “noggin,” meaning a wooden cup, or “grog,” a strong beer. By the late 18th century, the combined term “eggnog” stuck. The exact origins of eggnog are unknown. It has 13th-century English roots, developed into a beverage for aristocrats, and found its home as an essential Christmas drink in colonial America.

As a rich and often alcoholic drink, eggnog became a familiar fixture during the holiday season across the colonies and, eventually, the new country of the United States in the 1700s. Eggnog was frequently made without alcohol, and each region would adapt the drink to their personal tastes. In the South, for instance, people tended to prefer whiskey over rum.

It's said that George Washington devised his own recipe and that only the most courageous guests would partake. One popularly attributed recipe to the first President was a boozy batch of brandy, rye whiskey, Jamaican rum, and sherry. However, according to "The Old Farmer's Almanac" (and librarians at Mount Vernon), no eggnog recipe was found in the Washington family's archive. It's likely a 19th-century recipe.

Hot Chocolate (nonalcoholic)

Chocolate drink had been used for centuries as a healing and fortifying recipe by the Aztecs when Cortez encountered them in the 1500s. Their drink was cold, bitter, and flavored with spices and chili peppers. In 1528, Cortez returned to Spain, bringing cocoa beans and the chocolate drink recipe with him. The drink was so well-received that the Spanish kept their formula a secret for almost 100 years, during which time the recipe changed, becoming a hot drink without chiles with the addition of cane sugar.

In 1615, Spanish Princess Anna of Austria introduced the drink to her new husband, King Louis XIII of France. News of the rich potion quickly spread throughout Europe and by 1657 the first chocolate houses were established in London and Paris. Later in the 17th century milk was added to the recipe, and in 1828 — 200 years after the drink was first conceived in Europe — a Dutchman named Hendrick Van Houten developed a technique of squeezing the cocoa butter out of the seed then cooling, pulverizing and sifting the remaining part. The result was something similar to the instant cocoa powder we pour into hot water or milk to make hot chocolate today.

Hot chocolate is a winter drink, and you can choose to see it as a commercial emblem of the holiday season. Even so, after digging out the car and shoveling the driveway, or battling blizzards on a cold commute, a warm cup of cocoa is hard to beat.

All Christmas Happiness and

Good Cheer to You and Yours

In This Issue

Good Cheer

Fun Quotes

"Seeing is believing, but sometimes the most real things in the world are the things we can’t see."

―The Polar Express

“My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?” ― Bob Hope

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!”

― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

“This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!”

— D.M. Dellinger

“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.” ― Laura Ingalls Wilder

“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.” ― Charles M. Schulz

"It's Christmas Eve. It's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we smile a little easier, we cheer a little more. For a couple of hours out of the whole year we are the people that we always hoped we would be." — Frank Cross, Scrooged

“Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” — Calvin Coolidge

“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” — Charles Dickens

“Christmas is a day of meaning and traditions, a special day spent in the warm circle of family and friends.” ― Margaret Thatcher

The 2022 SRSCRO meeting schedule is available here.

Contact Information

SRSCRO, PO Box 696, Aiken, SC 29802

Staff:

Rick McLeod | President/CEO | 803.508.7402

Mindy Mets | Director of Regional Workforce Programs |803.508.7403

Amy Merry | Administrative & Business Manger | 803.508.7401

Kim Saxon | Assistant Coordinator | 803.508.7656

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