A Box Of Cruft And His Box Of Chocolates

Mike is making trouble for me.

A couple of weeks ago he told me a funny story about standing in line at See's Candy right before Valentine's Day.

I recounted this story to my wife Katy sometime after said holiday. Katy wanted to know why I didn't have to go to See's - I had given her the traditional one-pound box of nuts and chews - and I told her that our employee store stocks it for us around Valentine's.

Katy asked why Mike hadn't bought a box at the employee store.

I told her that Mike generally bought a pound of hand-picked chocolates for his wife.

Then the gears started to turn. Thoughtful silence filled the room.

"You mean you can buy just the ones you like?"

(Somehow she grew up in Southern California without considering why See's has all those individual candies on display.)

Sensing danger, I hesistantly answered in the affirmative.

"No more cherry cordial filled coconut ones? No more dark chocolate?"

I edged toward the door while slowly nodding.

"That's what I want next year. No preboxed set of chocolates. Only candies with some combination of milk chocolate, nuts, nougat, and caramel. And maybe some molasses chips. Get me those next time."

Sigh.

And so early next February I, too, will be standing in a ridiculously long line at See's. Thanks a whole lot, Cruftbox.