Shortages Reported For Eggnog, Whipped Cream Days Before Christmas

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Shortages seem to be hitting some of our most beloved Christmas traditions this year.

Christmas trees, eggnog and whipped cream – necessary for those holiday desserts and mugs of peppermint hot chocolate – have been either hard to find or priced prohibitively high this year.

Last month, a Rancho Cucamonga Christmas tree seller confirmed that a shortage drove prices up 10 percent.

One New York dairy underestimated demand by 25 percent this year, while sales at another dairy shot up 60 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal.

As for whipped cream, the Washington Post reported that a shortage of nitrous oxide – a critical ingredient for aerosolized whipped cream – was caused by a fatal explosion at a facility in Florida, forcing the company to reduce its nitrous oxide output temporarily. And because the ingredient, also known as laughing gas for its ability to relax people and ease pain during dental procedures, is first allocated to medical clients before food manufacturers – a shortage is born.

Just three days from Christmas, there's probably not much that can be done about the tree shortage, but there are plenty of workarounds for eggnog and whipped cream that can be found online.