As a marketer, I understand the need to capitalize on the holidays or other special times during the year. For whatever reason, if you can twist your product to fall in line with a unique day or time on the calendar, people will bite. I am not immune to this sneaky technique by any means. In fact, I am a big sucker for purchasing “seasonal” items (except for Starbucks holiday cups…I don’t drink coffee).

In tonight’s blog post, I want to share the five seasonal items I looked forward to the most growing up. This is not a countdown as I couldn’t bring myself to rank one sugary treat ahead of another.

Girl Scout Cookies – To be honest, this blog post was inspired by the fact that I just purchased Girl Scout Cookies. My co-worker’s daughter is selling them and I couldn’t resist. I bought a box of Tagalongs for me and two boxes of Trefoils for Sidney. Also, new this year is a S’mores cookie. I bought a box of those as well. Come on though, what seasonal treat is more beloved than Girl Scout Cookies? There is nothing better than seeing cute Girl Scouts out front at the grocery store and there is nothing better than making their day by purchasing a box or two.

Sitting around with the Girl Scout Cookies I purchased today.

Shamrock McDonald’s Shake – When I was growing up, I didn’t have access to a thousand different milkshake flavors like I do now. Back then, it was just chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. When McDonald’s would release its Shamrock shake around St. Patrick’s Day, not only did it have that distinctive mint flavor but it was also GREEN, something that looked completely different from what I was used to. We didn’t get milkshakes that often but during March my parents would always let us get a Shamrock shake.

Heart Shaped Papa Murphy’s Pizza – My love for Papa Murphy’s take-n-bake pizza is well-documented. Back in the day, I spent a couple different Valentine’s Days with a heart shaped pizza as opposed to a date. I don’t know if the chain still does it, but Papa Murphy’s would offer $5 pepperoni heart shaped pizzas on Valentine’s Day. The discount and the shameless holiday cut of the pizza was enough to entice us.

Cap’N Crunch Christmas Crunch – There was not another cereal that got me more in the Christmas spirit than Cap’N Crunch Christmas Crunch. But hold on here, I am not trying to be cute or to overstate this. I sincerely looked forward to when the Yuletide cereal would hit the shelves. I loved the red and green crunch berries but I also just enjoyed the box itself. It was so festive how they put the Captain in front of a Christmas background while donning a Santa hat. A Christmas memory for sure!

Costco Pumpkin Pies – Although I don’t get excited about the mainstream obession with everything pumpkin flavored, I do very much enjoy the true pumpkin staple of the holidays. But it isn’t just pumpkin pie that I like, it is Costco pumpkin pie. When Thanksgiving comes around and Costco starts putting out big crates full of pumpkin pies I get happy. Not only is it an indication that the holiday season is here but it is also an indication that my taste buds are about to enjoy one of the most consistent and pleasant tastes that I know of. Thank goodness for Costco pumpkin pie.

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Go out and support your local Girl Scouts! If you need someone to purchase them from, let me know! Don’t Blink.