Peeps!

I'm so happy that my first post on On the Trending List is about Peeps! For millions of people, Peeps is one of the iconic symbols of celebrating good times, in this case, of course, Easter, or the coming of Spring, the season of new beginnings. The first little yellow Peeps chicks that appear on the store shelves each year are enough to bring a smile to my face. It's the same feeling that comes from eating cupcakes with bright sugary sprinkles while playing a tambourine and floating in a cool pool on a hot day as a cloud of a thousand colorful helium balloons sail by overhead. That has never happened to me per se, but I can imagine it, and that's how good those bright yellow Peeps chicks make me feel.

Peeps now come in many bright colors at Easter, and they come in many shapes for other holidays year round. For me, the yellow chicks that I learned to love as a kid are still my favorite. When I was young, I ate them almost as fast as I ripped off the clear wrapping. As I aged, though, I learned patience and with patience I learned that aged Peeps are even more delectable. With a slightly firm outer crust, the textural quality of aged Peeps enhances the experience of biting into them, but should not be considered an indication that Peeps will fulfill even a small fraction of your daily dietary fiber requirements.

While my favorite candy will always be dark chocolate, at this time of year, I reach for Peeps first. If the new chocolate-mousse Peeps make it to a store near me, I might be able to have my Peeps and chocolate, too. When it comes to the feel good factor, however, no candy will be able to rise above that of the original yellow Peeps chicks. I'm not a very religious person, but Peeps sure seem like a little bit of heaven right here on earth, and I don't even want to think about how terrible a place must be that didn't have Peeps.