Do holiday flavors exist?

Whether it’s the smell of pumpkin pie baking in the kitchen or the sharp bite of cranberry sauce on your tongue — the question remains whether certain flavors are indelibly associated with given holidays.

The spice giant McCormick & Company released its annual Flavor Forecast — a press release that details the top five flavor pairings this year for the holidays. While the suggestion of peppermint and chocolate will make the good people at Andes Candies (now owned by Tootsie) happy, the combination of vanilla and red food color is a bit suspect. I’m not sure that red food color is technically a flavor, although it is how McCormick gets to discussing our current obsession with Red Velvet cakes or cupcakes.