One December, my close friend and I met for coffee before she flew to her parents’ house for the holidays. We picked a new Starbucks close to the freeway, making the drive easy for both of us. When I pulled open the glass door that Saturday afternoon, it looked like half of the town shared the same idea!
People filled practically every table, crammed around them like brightly wrapped gifts under a Christmas tree, with smiles on their faces and hands curled around bright red paper cups. I waited by the entrance, one eye on the parking lot and another on a table where a couple had just stood and started pulling on their coats.
My friend walked in right as the strangers cleared their used napkins and cups, so I gave her a huge bear hug before we snagged the now empty chairs. She grabbed our drinks, and although tempted by the aromas of seasonal peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes, I saw the long line of customers waiting for the baristas to craft their specialty beverages… So I opted for plain black coffee. Much faster and easier!
Besides, the main point of us meeting was catching up and spending time together — not the drinks! We stayed for nearly three hours, laughing and trading stories well after the sun disappeared and stars twinkled in the sky outside. Cozy, warm, and fueled by caffeine, we enjoyed every moment of our holiday coffee date.
We’ve both moved since then — her overseas and me five hundred miles away — so we mainly keep in touch by text these days. Yet when I recently made a batch of this healthy gingerbread coffee creamer and added it to my mug, memories from that day came flooding back, as fresh as ever, and I dug up the blissfully happy selfie we took at the end of the evening.
Friends like that are so sweet and special… And I love how something as simple as a sip of a festive homemade creamer can make those people feel just as close, especially during the holiday season!
Continue reading & see the rest! ›› Healthy Gingerbread Coffee Creamer
The post Healthy Gingerbread Coffee Creamer first appeared on Amy’s Healthy Baking.
