The See's Season

Okay, so a diabetic isn't supposed to be addicted to See's candy, but when I was a very young child, the See's store on State Street in Santa Barbara, CA was a magical kingdom of total pleasure. All that pristine black and white, and the nice ladies in the crisply-starched white uniforms with black trim and black aprons, who treated even the youngest child as a guest, rather than a nuisance, set a high bar for Christmas shopping! I couldn't wait until we made the trip to See's to buy the special box of candy, absolutely certain the ladies in the uniforms, who made frequent trips into the back of the store, were making the candy for my mom's box as we waited. The gift for our mom was always a box of See's, even though it meant we all (3 older children at 50 cents each, but the younger 2 only had to earn a quarter each) had to work our butts off to earn our 50 cents that, totaled, added up to a 2-pound box of assorted chocolates with bon-bons.

The box was a work of art, with each piece of candy in its own little fluted cup, and each placed with precision into the bottom layer, then gently covered to protect those candies when the second layer was added. The bright red holiday wrapping paper always had a bow and a special Mrs. See sticker holding it closed. The bon-bons were the perfect touch of color that added the holiday look when the box was opened, and Mom, even though she knew what our gift would be, always acted not just surprised, but as if we had given her one of the crown jewels.

She shared with us, sparingly, as my mom loved See's candy more than any other sweet treat. We were sneaky, however, and always found her hiding place, with the bright white box reflecting off our searching flashlights. Once we brought the box out into the open, we spent far too long trying to decide which ONE piece of candy we would take without asking, even being so bold as to lift the divider and peek at the hidden chocolates in the bottom layer. Sometimes, the temptation was too much, so we carefully scooped all the filling out from the bottom of one piece, then replaced the empty chocolate shell back into the box, somehow believing that mom would never know.

The See's is, perhaps, the most important part of Christmas, so today, on my way to the dentist, I braved the crowds of snowbirds to stand in line and have a special order box prepared: 3 pounds of assorted chocolates, with bon-bons, please, and an extra 1/2 pound box of assorted chocolates because, although my mom is no longer here to enjoy her Christmas box of See's candy, my daughter and her fiance are on their way to take care of me during the surgery. My daughter loves See's candy, and her husband-to-be will have to go along to get along. The employee assured me that they have prewrapped boxes, but I again carefully instructed him that I did not want just a 3# box of assorted chocolates, but I wanted bon-bons. He affirmed that he knew what I wanted and began filling the box with candy.

It's hard to see just what they are doing behind the glass case, so I asked him, when it seemed to be taking a really long time to fill the order, if he had a system or had memorized the contents of a 3# box of assorted chocolates, with bon-bons? He told me that they just keep adding candy until the box is full, which is not the memory of my See's experience. I reminded him that this was to be a gift, and I really wanted to showcase the See's selection, to which he returned a smile and kept putting candy into the box.

Suddenly, he turned toward the register and rang up the box of candy, then grabbed some scotch tape and taped the box shut. If I began buying See's candy when it was 50 cents a pound, I have some experience with boxing See's candy, and I've NEVER seen a box taped shut! He brought the bulging box to me, along with the total purchase price, but I told him I wanted it wrapped for a gift -- and had ordered an extra 1/2 pound box of assorted chocolates that he did not have with him. He gave me the stare and said, "You want it wrapped?" I assured him that I did, indeed, want it wrapped -- and also wanted the 1/2 pound box of assorted chocolates.

There was a long line waiting to be served, and I really didn't want to be pushy, so I did take the bulging box of candy once it was wrapped and leave the store.

When I arrived home and took the candy out of the bag, I laughed: even the bright red See's holiday paper is held together with scotch tape, in place of the traditional gold Mrs. See seal. I just had to unwrap the box and see the contents, so I took a photo: . I also took a picture of the mound of See's candy piled above the top edge of the box (bottom of the photo). No wonder the top had to be taped on!

Yes, I have the See's candy, and I may well have more than the 3# that should be in the box, but this is certainly not a gift I can give to anyone, so I'm going to arrange it artfully on little dessert plates, along with some homemade cookies, and serve it with dainty cups of piping hot coffee. I'm sure this seasonal employee won't make it to the new year in this job, and I'm equally certain that someone is going to find a huge discrepancy between product used and cash in the register.

This may not be the See's Christmas memory from my youth, and it cost me considerably more than 50 cents a pound, but it's See's candy: lots and lots of See's candy bulging out of that bright white box! It doesn't get much better than that any season of the year.