With plenty of blue skies and mild temperatures, autumn wasn't too bad at all, but now, winter has well and truly arrived. Like Sean Bean's character in Game of Thrones, as soon as October begins to draw to a close, I find myself wearing thick coats, talking in a strange accent and being oddly suspicious of the Royal Family.
It's really weird.
Clad in scarves and the like, I now spend most of my mornings with a cup of hot tea, and my evenings with a big ol' mug of hot cocoa. But what about in the intervening hours, when the promise of hot drinks is more likely to be unfulfilled, and when I should probably try eating something to stave off the biting cold?
Well, M&M's heard you, and their latest strain of chocolate candies might be the key to keeping yourself nice and cozy this winter 2018. You've heard of hot cocoa, sure, but I find that lugging around that thermos of sweet-hot deliciousness can be a little cumbersome at times.
M&M's are way ahead of you, with the Hot Cocoa M&M's here to guide you gently through the winter. You'll have to wait till November to see them, but as you might realise, that's not actually too far away, is it? Some of you may be asking, though; what's the difference between Hot Cocoa M&M's and... regular chocolate M&M's?
It's a good question, I have to give it to you, and it's actually got a very illustrative answer. Head to the shelves of Target a mere week from now, and you'll be able to pick up a packet of Hot Cocoa M&M's. But rather than the peanut, chocolate or crisp, when you bite into these M&M's, you'll find something rather lovely.
Underneath that shell is a thin ring of milk chocolate, and underneath that thin ring is another layer of white chocolate marshmallow-flavored deliciousness. It's pretty much a mini mug of cocoa. Just like your dad used to make for you on those long, cold winter nights. What's not to like? If you ask me, this might actually be better than the M&M's standard fare.
Of course, this is far from the only development from M&M's in this chilly, winter season.
We've just caught wind of another M&M's flavour - this time, you can little bites of Nutella wherever you go with the Hazelnut Spread version of M&M's! Since M&M's are from Mars and Nutella are from Ferrero, it's not exactly Nutella Nutella, but stick 'em in your craw when you next get a sugar craving and you won't be able to tell the difference.
So there you have it! The winter may be cold, but at least this time, you'll have M&M's to get you through it. Bonus: buy both packets, mix them in a bowl, and pick and choose between Hot Cocoa and Hazelnut Spread whenever you can. That sounds delicious, doesn't it?