What Candy Keeps Him Jolly?

The average American will put away almost 3.5 pounds of candy by the end of this holiday season, according to the National Confectioners Association and Candy Manufacturers Association, with some of us no doubt skipping the decimal point.

But the big question is: What kind of candy would Frosty the Snowman most want to eat, assuming he were alive?

Hard candy was the top pick in a poll of 200 youngsters, aged 6 to 11, sponsored by the two trade associations.

Behind hard candy (cited by 30 percent of the kids surveyed) came chocolate candy (24 percent), candy bars (17 percent), chewy candy (11 percent) and gum (10 percent). The remaining 8 percent couldn’t make up their minds.

Personally, we figure ol’ Frosty would prefer M&M’s. After all, they melt in your mouth, not in your … hey, where did his hands go?

Cocoa, too?

Speaking of melting, the producers of “The Wizard of Oz on Ice” skating show which opens tonight at the Spokane Arena point out that food plays a much larger role in the original L. Frank Baum book than in the famous film version starring Judy Garland.

For example, after Dorothy has reduced the Wicked Witch of the West to a putrid puddle and is ready to return to the Emerald City, she heads to the cupboard before leaving to fill her basket with goodies for the trip. The just-add-water sort of stuff, we imagine.

Cold facts

So, you found one of those Miracle Thaw food thawing trays under the Christmas tree? Be careful, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

In a new consumer alert, the commission warns that the aluminum trays generally don’t thaw food any faster than a regular metal pan would, and that there’s still a risk of bacterial growth if food is left to thaw at room temperature for an extended period.

The commission also says that thermo-electric coolers/warmers such as Koolatron may not keep food cold enough in hot weather or enclosed spaces, and do not typically reach high enough temperatures to kill existing bacteria in hot food or prevent further bacterial growth.

Ho, ho, ooohhh…

Finally, this fun fact, courtesy of the American Dietetic Association: Assuming Santa drank a glass of whole milk and ate two butter cookies at each American household he visited last night, the right jolly old elf ended up consuming a staggering 14,026,032,000 calories and 6,180,336,000 grams of fat. Guess the stockings aren’t all that’s stuffed.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Drawing