The secret of the yellow box

If you follow my FB page, you know I got the scare of the year the other day when both my local grocery chain AND my go-to drugstore stopped carrying Whitman’s Samplers. That’s right—I’m talking about the legendary yellow box filled with assorted chocolates. Most Boomers will remember Whitman’s showing up under the Christmas tree, at birthday parties, on Valentine’s Day, and, maybe most importantly, for Mother’s Day.

My mom bravely kept her latest Whitman’s on her bedroom dresser. I’m sure she knew we kids snuck in and snitched a caramel now and then, but I think she loved seeing it there, a sweet reminder of her husband’s steadfast smitten-ness as she clipped on her earrings or freshened her lipstick. My dad may not have spouted sonnets, but Mom knew, like all women of her generation, that the cheery yellow box was code for “I love you.” She only asked we not eat the coconut one, her favorite. When the box was finally emptied, it was ours for crayons. Crayons that smelled deliciously of chocolate forever after.

Since 1842, Whitman’s has been a dependable declaration of love, American-style. I routinely buy Samplers for friends and colleagues and keep them on hand for my own nostalgic nibbling. So, when even the shelf tags for Whitman’s were gone from my regular sources, I freaked out. Jacked-up Amazon prices and stripped local shelves spooked me into thinking my favorite candy box was slated for oblivion. I put in a panicked call to the parent company and the patient customer service lady assured me, twice, that Whitman’s was not being discontinued—had I checked with Wal-Mart?

I jumped into my car the minute I hung up and bolted down the road, screeched into the parking lot, and sprinted to aisle A-24. Cue angel harp strum. There they were, my childhood’s symbol of enduring romance (at a low, low price!). I snatched up two Samplers and clutched them to my chest, feeling rather like Gollum with his precious.

Both packages now live in my pantry (because I lack my mother’s self-control and need a closed door between me and chocolate for a box to last more than a week). One for my daily chocolate relapse and the other for emergencies.

Because you never know when you might need to tell someone—someone who understands the secret Whitman’s code—how much they mean to you.

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.” Proverbs 3:27