An end to the holiday season and to a box of See's

We recently closed the lid for the last time on the 2012 box of See's.

   

   Lori and I formally concluded the 2012-13 holiday season on January 20.

   We put away the holiday decorations about two weeks ago, but it was yesterday that we completed the final step in putting the recent holiday season to rest. It was yesterday that we ate the last piece of candy from this season’s gift of See’s Famous Old Time Candies. 

   My brother Mark gives a one-pound box of See’s to me and each of my  siblings, along with other gifts. I am not a big fan of chocolate candy, but I always look forward to Mark’s gift of See’s. It’s the only time of year that I savor a treat of gourmet chocolates. 

   There was a time when I considered the holiday season at an end the moment I pushed the last box of Christmas decorations into the attic. Not no more.

   I am now so fond of the See's treats that I declare the moment the last piece of candy is consumed as the formal and official end of the holiday season. 

   Following this rule, we typically note the end of the season about the third week of January, so this year’s end was just about on schedule. Some years we have stretched the season to the last week of January, but we’ve recorded a few years when our appetites for fine candy forced us to end the season on New Year’s Day. 

   Lori and I hosted the family Christmas dinner in 2011 and Mark rewarded us with a two-pound box of See’s, and the holiday season lasted almost to Valentine’s Day 2012. 

   As holiday seasons go, the 2012-13 season was a fine one. We managed to spend time with Lori’s side of the family as well as mine. We put aside our concerns about the lack of money, a growing pile of debt and similar things. We set our minds to giving thanks for the many gifts the Lord shared with us and our families during the past year.

   In my immediate (and extended family) each of us enjoys good health. We have succeeded during a time of prolonged economic stress for the nation. We ended 2012 with the same number of loved ones that were with us at the start of the year. We have not been able to say the same at the end of some recent years. 

   Yes, the 2012-13 holiday season is ended, but I carry forward fine memories of the festive period. I look forward to December 2013 and a fresh box of See’s Famous Old Time Candies, and I pray each member of my family will be there to enjoy a sweet treat with me.

—Send email to kbotterman@gmail.com.