Nuthin' Like a Box of Chocolates

Behold.

And they're mine — all mine.

My aunt brought me a box of See's assorted chocolates. It's a tradition in our family — she sent them for our family every year at Christmas. After dinner, my brother and I would stick our faces into the box, trying to will our eyes to see what was inside because you got what you got. If it had the nasty orange filling inside, you couldn't put it back. Your only choice was to eat it. Or throw it. And, nobody wasted treats in our house.

Now that See's is up to about $18 a pound, I never buy 'em. A box of candy is a luxury. And, since two of my three kids have nut allergies, they can't eat 'em. Husband doesn't care. Oldest child, who has no allergies and a sweet tooth to rival mine, does not know about them. Nor will she.

So, I will pick my way through the box, and unlike when I was little, if I bite into one and discover something nasty, I'll move on. Maybe I'll come back to it, maybe I won't. More likely, by the end of the week, about two-thirds of the box will be empty wrappers and the rest will have nibbles out of the ends.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm trying to remember if my beloved mocha bordeauxes are the rectangular ones with sprinkles or the roundies.