My Family's See's Candies Tradition
The custom box. It is everything I want, nothing I don't.
Getting your very own customized box of See's Candies is a thing in my family. It doesn't happen often, which is good. I'm not saying that because I'd no doubt grow a chocolate buddah belly in 2.2, but because I wouldn't fully appreciate the deliciousness of a box of See's Candies anymore.
#maryismyhomegirl
Here's a little See's Candies history for ya. Mary See is the fabulous creator of these recipes, but the founder of the company is her son, Charles See. Thanks to him, this delightful company has been around for over 90 years– my family feeding our addiction for the majority of them. They use only the finest, freshest ingredients with no preservatives added and have over 100 different candies and chocolates. Each of their adorable shops feature an iconic black-and-white checkered floor, designed to resemble Mary's home kitchen (now how cute is that?) Every visitor gets a free sample when you swing by too- that's my kind of joint!
Get a load of this box of chocolate Forrest, Forrest Gump.
Photo cred: sees.com
My mom is the generous See's gifter, and she wisely keeps a running list of each family member's favorite flavors on her phone for easy access. On occasion, our list needs updating. Scotchmallow's, for example, used to be a beloved favorite of mine, but now they are long gone and were replaced with the decadent Cashew Brittle, a recent newcomer to my list. It's a 0.5 lb box, only so many candies can make the cut, so you've gotta make some heart-wrenching decisions sometimes.
We are given this happy little box on Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter. By the time Christmas rolls around, it's been a long, See's Candy-deprived wait and we are chomping at the bit to get our hands on our boxes. Each of us are typically several candies deep before 10am on Christmas morning.
My husband thought we were all a bit cuckoo about our See's boxes when he first heard about our tradition. Once he partook in a customized box of his own, it didn't take him long to put on the "chocolate diva hat," having my mom update his running list bi-annually. "Mrs. Thompson...what the DEVIL are these Toffee-ettes doing in my BOX? I specifically told you to replace the Toffee-ettes with the Peanut Butter Patties <chucks Toffee-ette at my mother's frowning face>!!" <that conversation may or may have been dramatized for your reading pleasure...or ever happened at all>
Probably the same length of line my mom patiently waits in for our custom Christmas.boxes.
This is one of the many dessert traditions in my family and continues to be a favorite of all of ours. There's really nothing like a hand-picked box of these beauties. It's everything. Don't be shy friends and go get one for yourself to see what all this nonsense is about!