Childhood Memories

What do you see?

The only possible answer, of course,
is Childhood Memories.

The other day, Dollface was over, and I reached for a memory. She said, "Are you hungry, Mom?," because she knows that I am struggling to maintain my weight, and she is trying to help. Bless her heart. 

"This is not a cookie," I snapped back, waving the thing in her face. "It's a Childhood Memory!" Then I quickly turned away from her, stuffing the whole cookie into my mouth before she could take it from me. 

"Huh. That's exactly what Dad said, too. Weird."
(For what it's worth, she never even tried to take the cookie. I think I may have a "cookie problem," but that's a topic to save for after the holidays.)

In the grocery store, last weekend, I saw the shelf...the one with dozens of boxes of cheap, sugar cookies that are only available at Christmastime. I was transported back in my mind to my grandparents' kitchen, where an empty box of these cookies was the designated "cookie jar" for Grampa Joe's cookies. Like most grandparents, mine were frugal...and I don't know if it was the same box for all of my childhood, or if they bought a new box of cookies every few years, but it was the best (and least expensive) cookie jar ever for those cookies. In my head, I even imagine saving this very box when these cookies are gone, so that I will have a place to keep Grampa Joe's cookies in my own kitchen...or maybe not.

Sweetie saw me carefully place my found treasure in the cart, and he gave me that "we don't need any cookies" face. I calmly informed him, in the most matter-of-fact tone I could muster, that these are more than mere cookies. "These," I insisted, "are Childhood Memories." He did not protest...too much. I love him.

The cookies are cheap, and my own baked goods taste far better, but this box takes me back. Even if I don't go all the way to my own childhood, there are great memories when I see this box in my kitchen. It was not too far back that I bought dozens of boxes of these cookies for a "Cookies and Milk with Santa" event at my kids' elementary school. Hundreds of children, and their families, went through the line to sit on Santa's lap, hoping for a super special Christmas, and share a cookie with Santa! See?!? Childhood memories! (Memories of the event are soon followed by memories of all the leftover cookies...I ate my fair share of them, lol!)

Now, what do you see?

That's right. Inexpensive sugar cookies. :)

What Childhood Memories are you craving this December?