Christmas Cookies Are My Strange Addiction

Bloomington, Indiana.

Hi, I'm Michael, I'm 43, and I'm addicted to Christmas cookies.

Christmas cookies, in my personal opinion, are the best, food in the world. They make me feel better, and I just love it.

It is predicted Michael has eaten Christmas cookies over 50,000 times in the last 6 years.

That is over 129 days worth of Christmas cookies.

I've first eaten Christmas cookies in 2004, when I was 27, and since then, my love for baking, the method for cooking them, has grown and grown.

I don't know why it has such an effect on me. Maybe it's the ingredients, or the shape. It triggers something in my mind.

I like to say it was triggered because I had my first kiss to Christmas cookies.

That's a lie. I just wanted to say it started out with a kiss, how did it end up like this, it was only a kiss, it was only a kiss?

I think my lowest point was when I thought changing my name legally-Michael Christmas Cookies-because I could be "I'm Mr. Christmas Cookies" every time.

Every time I bake Christmas cookies I normally film myself from Snapchat singing along to it, but I can never look back in it, I just can't look because it's killing me and it's taking control.

I call my oven the cage so I can say "they're coming out of my cage" every day when they're done cooking, and I'm doing just fine but the truth is I'm not fine.

Michael's addiction has caused a lot of issues and concern among friends and family.

One time he collapsed in front of me choking on a Christmas cookie because when he started coughing I asked if he was choking and he said "on my alibis but that's just the price I pay."

He's pushing his friends away at this point on.

This was confirmed by Michael.

None of my friends want to come around my house anymore because I'm baking 24/7 and it's just Christmas cookies.

This was Michael's reaction when asked about his romantic relationships:

Do you know what, can I take a break, can you let me go?

Eventually he came back.

I've never had a long-term relationship and I think it's because people can't handle that I'll always love Christmas cookies more than them.

Or it's because I'm unattractive and unlovable but I think I'm going to go for the Christmas cookies thing.

But is there a cure?

I've tried to cure this obsession. I really have. Someone once suggested that I should go make them live and that maybe it would cure it because I'll finally get to make Christmas cookies in their best format and last year I did. If anything it made it worse now that I know what Christmas cookies taste like live and the feeling and adrenaline rush you can get is so much better I just want to taste it like that again and again and again. I feel like it could be a physical issue because my stomach is sick, but I think it's all in my head.

But Michael isn't alone...

It was 2016 when I was told by someone one in ten people aged 35-44 in the US's favorite food is Christmas cookies and that really opened up my eager eyes. I know my addiction to Christmas cookies is something that is very prevalent in the US. I just hope that this might raise awareness to the issue at hand and we can all get some help. I don't know if I'll ever not be addicted to Christmas cookies but I know one thing for sure for now is here to stay.

Please share this to raise awareness

and to those of you who are addicted

you are NOT alone