Seasonal products we wish were year-round

Our Favorite Limited Editions

It's a tradition as old as civilization itself: During festive seasons, we eat special treats. To feed our seasonal frenzy for all things fattening, manufacturers deck the shelves with holiday-themed goodies.

Some seasonal products are so addictive that we spend the whole year looking forward to them, some of us even pack our freezers and cupboards with extra supplies to carry us though the lean months when they're not offered for sale.

Seasonal products are good business, and not only because people are willing to spend money to stick to tradition. People also tend to buy products if they think they won't be available next month, a trick Disney has used for years by teasing audiences about DVD retirement to a non-existent "vault". The perception of uniqueness encourages also some consumers to buy stuff in higher quantities, or as gifts.

Strike gold with the right product, and a company can make an entire year's worth of revenue in just a few weeks. Just ask H&R Block or TurboTax.

There's a trick to maintaining a successful seasonal product. Ironically, it's year-round planning. Cadbury, a company with several blockbuster seasonal success stories on its product list, Mini Eggs, sells about 4,000 tons of its hard-shelled chocolates, Mini Eggs, between January and Easter. But to meet that surge in demand, the company has to spread manufacture over the entire year.

At the risk of making your mouth water, we present 15 seasonal products that belong in the hall of fame. We wish these items were available all year. Did your must-have make the list?