Refined sugars (such as table sugar) are stripped of nutrients; most noncaloric sweeteners are artificial. Sugar isn’t all that convenient when you’re trying to get it to dissolve in iced coffee, iced tea or lemonade.

One solution: liquid cane sugar and liquid stevia dissolve easily and are available in natural food stores. But one family business is treating them with imagination and sass. We bought quite a few bottles for ourselves and for holiday gifts.

The Hey Shuga! line of all natural, organic liquid sweeteners dissolve instantly in cold beverages and cocktails, and are equally delicious in hot beverages, as topping for cereal and fruit, in baking and glazing.

The two initial products are:

 
Both are alternatives to agave. corn syrup/golden syrup, honey, maple syrup, refined white sugar and conventional stevia. Lil’ Suga! has so few calories, you can use it instead of noncaloric sweeteners.

Both have a delicious cane sugar taste, nothing artificial and are USDA organic certified, GMO free, gluten free and kosher certified by SKS.

The line expects to expand next year to all-natural Hazelnut, Irish Cream, Maple and Vanilla flavors.
You can purchase them on Amazon or on the HeyShuga.com website, which sells:

 
There are also tall bottles, glamorous for gifting:

Check out all the different types of sugar in our Sugar Glossary.
  

Deck the sinks with holiday-scented hand
soap.

With everything getting the holiday treatment, why not your hand soap?

Softsoap Scentsations Limited Edition Holiday Liquid Hand Soaps offers three holiday scents: Enchanting Sugar Plum, Spiced Berry Bliss and Wintermint Wonderland. We installed bottles at the kitchen and bathroom sinks.

 
Softsoap Scentsations Holiday Liquid Hand Soaps are available at Walmart. The suggested retail price is $2.29.

They may get the family to wash their hands more often! And in our germophobic crowd, they make good party favors.

There’s no information at the Softsoap website, but what more do you need to know?

ARE YOU A GERMOPHOBE OR A MYSOPHOBE?

Germophobia/germaphobia means “fear of germs,” coined in modern times. But back in 1897, the term mysophobia was coined by Dr. William Alexander Hammond, who served as Surgeon General of the United States Army during the Civil War. The word combines the Greek musos, “uncleanness” and phobos, “fear.”

Other medical terms, such as bacillophobia, bacteriophobia, molysmophobia/molysomophobia, rhypophobia, rupophobia and spermophobia, indicate a pathological fear of contamination and germs or the need to compulsively wash one’s hands.

Of course, you don’t need a phobia to keep those hands clean!

We’ve never been to New Zealand, but friends who moved there from the U.S. love it.

It sounds like paradise: pristine waters, lots of sunshine and clean air, not to mention wonderful lamb and delicious wines.

Considered one of the great wine-growing regions of the world, Marlborough, located on the northeast coast of New Zealand’s South Island, is one of the country’s sunniest areas. The climate is perfect for growing crisp, zesty Sauvignon Blancs and complex yet fruity Pinot Noirs.

The Nobilo winery is one of the best in the region, with two award winning lines: Nobilo Regional Collection and Nobilo Icon. Founder Nikola Nobilo emigrated from Croatia in 1937, ordered by his uncle who saw the signs of what would become World War II.

Nikola and his family began to plant grapes in 1943, and pioneered planting of classic European grape varieties in New Zealand that produced higher quality wines than the hybrid grapes the industry had been planting.

We received a gift of a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc and the Pinot Noir. Both honor their founder:

 
If you need to pick something nice for holiday meals and gifting, look for Nobilo Icon. The inspirational story behind it makes it even tastier.

Learn more on the winery’s website.