One of the many reasons to love this time of year is the arrival of the Christmas Orange to the stores. You know the ones I mean, the clementines that come in the little wooden crate with the orange mesh on top. Throughout the year, we consume regular oranges on an infrequent basis, but once Christmas season is upon us, we are vitamin C machines. It’s normal for us to burn through one to two cases a week, and have even dug into a third case on those weeks when they are at their optimal sweetness.

I am not sure what it is about these little babies that make them so wonderful, but they are the first sign of Christmas that I welcome with open arms*. It could be the fact that they are so simple to peel, that they taste so good, that they are largely seedless, or that they are the perfect size for a snack. It’s likely a combination of all of these qualities, along with the good memories that I associate with the fruit. I can’t be the only one that spent many a junior high school lunch snickering with friends as we tried to peel the orange in that special way that resulted in a single piece of peel that resembled the guys “junk”. We are also creating new memories with Woo and Goose, memories that haven’t (yet!) gone down that road.

I always buy my first case too soon, when the oranges are not yet ready. This year I was smart, and waited until they had been out a few weeks. I heard some positive feedback and this week took the plunge. We bought our inaugural case and dove in. The first taste was heaven, but the rest have been sadly lacking. It was too soon.

*everything else can wait until December 1st*