Just An Inconspicuous Old Box

That's right! It was just a big old inconspicuous box, in the basement covered with blankets and things. Only a curious boy would be snooping around to see if it held any treasures. Sure enough, my brother, Jim, looked inside to see what it may hold. For most of the week he'd had his detective hat on, along with his hound dog nose, sniffing around for a sign of Christmas gifts. Lo, and behold, the box was full of wrapped gifts.

He didn't stop there. Sharing with his sisters was the next step. Then taking the gifts out, shaking each one and oh, so carefully undoing the tape. Peeking inside to see what or who the gift was for came next. This man of stealth wasn't stopping at finding the jackpot, he wanted a piece of the action.

All this took place when our mother was gone, of course. He looked forward with anticipation for Christmas. This taught me a smart thing that my mom did. She prepared ahead of time for Christmas by wrapping and stashing our Christmas. I did the same thing years later, trying to find the 'Best hiding place ever'.

Christmases have come and gone, but I still remember the secret we stumbled upon that year we found the inconspicuous old box.

Devoid of Divinity & Other Divines

One of Grandma Crane's favorite Christmas treats was Divinity. We always colored it pink or green. It isn't easy to make, because if you stir it too much it goes grainy. Mixing it wrong could turn into a runny mess that won't harden to perfection. I don't plan to try the finicky confection.

Cereal Candy was another staple at Christmas parties and oft requested. No one in the family has mastered the treat quite the same as Mom did. She began stocking up on Cheerios, Rice Krispies and Cornflakes a month in advance. It is easy to make with only corn syrup, cream and sugar in the syrup.

Caramel Candy was a monthly treat, made often. Mom liked to cook it to the hard stage. The advantage was, the candy would last longer. Instead of cutting it and wrapping it, we would leave it in the pan, then break off pieces of the hard candy with the handle of a knife. Brother Jim, would take 2x2 inch pieces. One piece wasn't enough, because we wanted some for now and put the rest in our pocked for later.

Once we tried Steamed Carrot Pudding. It cooked in a water bath for three hours inside a canning jar. I loved the caramel sauce on it. It was good, but too time consuming to do.

The making and taking of goodies as gifts was one of the highlights of Christmas. We seldom bought candy.

Only 1/2 Piece for Me

Mom loved to chew gum. Her favorite was Wrigleys Double Mint. As a child I did, too. She would only give us 1/2 piece to chew. All her life she did the same. 'It lasted longer,' she said. When I grew up, I always used a whole piece. It was a way of showing I had 'Made it!' I was now affluent and such.

Mom never changed the size of her stick of gum, but she did change the flavor. She used Big Red later in life. I quit chewing gum. It lost its flavor all too soon and the chonking on it drove me crazy. I ran across one of her packets and put it in my desk at work. On occasion, when I get hungry or bored, I pull out the Big Red and have 1/2 piece. I do it for Mom.