Royal School of Needlework-- 2015 Courses

Monday, December 16, 2013

Stitching in Puerto de la Cruz

I loved sitting on the balcony, overlooking the street, people-watching, and stitching my LE parts 4 and 5 stems. The weather was "San Diego perfect" (in the 70's).


View from the balcony


Christmas Memories
The Box of Chocolate-Covered Cherries


When I was a child, I would hear my mother say, "Margaret is so hard to buy for. I never know what to give her for Christmas." When I was 8 years old, a 6 inch square box appeared under the tree on Christmas morning. When I opened it I found 3 layers of 4 chocolate covered cherries, and thanked my parents for the nice gift. When I was asked to taste one, I did. The gooey Maraschino cherry floating in a marshmallow liquid and surrounded by milk chocolate did not appeal to my taste buds, but I graciously ate one and  passed the box around asking if anyone would like to sample one. "No, Margaret, that is your Christmas gift, and you must eat them yourself." What to do. So I told them I would like to "save" them, took them to my bedroom and carefully placed them in the dresser (2nd drawer down, left front).  I was aware that the box was being monitored, so once a month, I took out one chocolate covered cherry and forced it down. On my 9th Christmas (you may have already guessed), there was another 6 inch square box under the tree with my name on it. My mother would tell anyone who would listen that Margaret loves chocolate covered cherries so much that she saves them in her bedroom drawer and eats one a month just to keep them for the whole year! (Note: by the time the 10th, 11th, and 12th  candies were eaten, they were quite dried out--and even more challenging to eat). Until I turned 21 (when I officially became an adult and moved into my own place thereby striking my name off the Christmas list) my yearly Christmas gift under the tree was a box of chocolate covered cherries. 

10 comments:

Jane in Cumbria said...

Oh you poor thing!!!
Did you use the boxes to put nice things in, when they were finally empty?

Margaret said...

The boxes were lightweight cardboard, Jane, and since they reeked of old candy, I tossed them. I am surprised that they still appear to be a popular gift item!?!?

Maritza said...

Margaret qué bonitas vistas tienes desde tu balcón, así da gusto sentarse a coser. Y si tienes una caja de cerezas al lado es perfecto. Un beso

Margaret said...

Maritza, I'll let you eat the entire box of chocolate covered cherries! Merry Christmas!

Wilma said...

Wauw I like to sit on that balcony too.
The candy doesn't even look attractive to me. Poor you, I geus 6 inch square presents make your skin crawl. I hope this Christmas there is something else under the tree for you

Plum Cox said...

Lovely place to sit and stitch! I'm jealous of that, but not the chocolate covered cherries, you poor thing! You must have been very nicely behaved and kind if you didn't ever give your mother a hint that you weren't keen on them!

Bunny said...

Beautiful view. Love the story about the chocolates they were my fathers favourite candy. He always loved them, and now my son loves them. They are gooey LOL.
Merry Christmas Bunny

Angie in SoCal said...

LOL, poor you, Margaret - I've never liked those either. I would eat the chocolate and flush the rest away.
Fortunately, I didn't get many. You need to buy yourself a gift for each of those years - maybe some fabric.

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year!
My Mom use to by a box of chocolate covered cherries for our teachers 'every Christmas'.
Being the youngest of 8, by the time I entered 8th grade the school's long suffering 8th grade teacher didn't even bother to unwrap my gift. He took the box from my hands with a sigh and set it aside, saying tell your mother 'thank you' for the last box. Delia in RB

Margaret said...

Delia, what a great horror story!
Where is RB? (Having a senior moment here.....)