Kirt did not disappoint and kept the gift-giving streak alive. One of my surprises was a box of See's chocolates. As I opened it I was transported back to my childhood. My great-grandfather bought my great-grandmother a box of See's chocolates every Valentines Day for many many many years and once the chocolates were gone, she would add the box to her collection. By the time I was old enough to remember she had quite the array of heart-shaped boxes. They came in various sizes and colors, and I remember lots of ribbon and even a few plastic flowers adorning the top. Every Sunday evening we gathered at their home and the Sunday before Valentines Day was always an exciting one. Our grandparents would help our great-grandparents fill all of those old-chocolate boxes with tons of our favorite Valentines candies and we'd all wait impatiently in the living room while Grandpa Watkins called us up one by one to present us with our special gift.
The candy was obviously my favorite part as a little one, but as I got older, especially as a teenager I couldn't wait to see which box I was going to get this year. I knew they had a special history and represented a long-standing tradition of love between my dear grandparents. As a starry-eyed teenage girl, those boxes were the most romantic thing I could imagine. (As a full-grown married mother of 3, I actually still find it pretty romantic.)
Those boxes themselves were serious business for Grandpa. I think they might have even been 'checked-out' not unlike a library book. If we didn't have that box returned in the next week or two, we were called out and reminded to bring it back. Now, realizing how kids can be, I'm amazed that any of them made it back in one piece, let alone 30-something boxes making it back year after year. As I was cleaning a cabinet the other day I found my chocolate box from last year so I added this year's box to my own modest collection. Maybe someday I'll have a tradition of my own.
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Another favorite Valentines Day memory was when I was in high school. I'm sure I had been complaining that I didn't have a Valentine and what a dreadful day it was going to be at school with balloons, teddy bears, flowers and chocolates crowding the halls and none of them belonging to me. Around 4th period an office aid delivered another vase flowers to my classroom only this time they had my name on them. The card revealed that they were from a secret admirer and I was straight-up dying. Rumors swirled about who they could be from and I was loving the attention. The mystery was not solved until I got home and my mom was giddy as a school girl when she saw the flowers. I instantly realized who my secret admirer was. My mama was looking out for me on a lonely Valentines Day and knew just how to stir the gossip pot and make me feel loved at the same time. Well done Leslie. Well done.
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And to clear up/clarify my mention of Cal's valentine this year: On the day before Valentines Day when I picked Cal up from school he mentioned that he needed to get "...some chocolate or flowers or something." I almost freaked out, but kept it as cool as I could and replied, "You don't have a girlfriend." He bristled at the comment. "No. I don't have a girlfriend. A girl came up to me and asked if I would be her Valentine so I guess that means I have to get her something for Valentines Day." I don't know if I should be shocked by the forwardness of these girls or proud of them for getting themselves a little pressie without having to have an actual boyfriend. Either way, I fed off Cal's vibe and pretended like it was no big deal. We had some fancy hot-chocolate-on-a-stick things that I was giving the kids teachers for Valentines Day so he put a few of those in a gift bag and was on his way. (Please bless that I can be as cool as my mom as these kids grow up! This growing up business is freaking me out!)
1 comment:
I loved your stories. What a great tradition that your grandparents had. I think that generation and the one after is the best example of what a good marriage should be. By the way I strive everyday to be as cool as a mom as you are!
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